Leadership Dynamics
Encyclopedia
Leadership Dynamics, also known as Leadership Dynamics Institute (LDI), was a private, for-profit company, owned by William Penn Patrick
. The company focused on executive training, personal development and self-improvement
. Leadership Dynamics was the first form of what psychologist
s termed "Large Group Awareness Training
".
William Penn Patrick was the financial backer of the company, and also provided the financial backing for Holiday Magic
and Alexander Everett
's Mind Dynamics
. Patrick stated that students of the Leadership Dynamics Institute would be able to lead "a more creative and constructive life." Patrick utilized the principles of Everett's Mind Dynamics in his company.
Ben Gay, a high-level instructor at Leadership Dynamics, was President of Holiday Magic in the United States. Though he claimed Leadership Dynamics was a separate company, "..in no way related to Holiday Magic, Inc.", author Gene Church pointed out many inconsistencies in this statement. According to a lawsuit brought against Holiday Magic by the Securities and Exchange Commission, in order to advance to the positions of Instructor General, Trainer General, and Senior General within the company, employees were mandated to take part in the Leadership Dynamics training.
In 1970, William Penn Patrick bought Mind Dynamics, and the Leadership Dynamics coursework soon became popular in the United States
, Europe
, and Australia
. However, Patrick's businesses became involved in pyramid scheme
s, and Leadership Dynamics, Holiday Magic, and Mind Dynamics shut down in 1973.
wrote in Business and Society Review that Leadership Dynamics was one of the first "transformational trainings". The extreme form of human potential movement
training led to a series of lawsuits for the company. This extreme training involved subjecting course participants to abusive practices such as beating, food and sleep deprivation, being placed inside of coffins, and degrading sexual acts.
Lawsuits against the company by former participants in the coursework alleged that students were sexually abused and tortured, including being placed in coffins or on crosses. Navarro and Navarro described the Leadership Dynamics training as utilizing a "harsh and hard hitting" form of group encounter therapy. The non-fiction
book, The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled
described some of these practices in great detail, and this was later made into a film, Circle of Power
.
later borrowed the "confrontational and abusive group encounter format" of Leadership Dynamics, and used it to develop Erhard Seminars Training
. Langone also noted that many forms of transformational trainings were at the least, indirectly influenced by Leadership Dynamics.
While working for Holiday Magic, Lifespring
founder John Hanley attended a course at Leadership Dynamics. Chris Mathe, at the time a Ph.D.
candidate in clinical psychology
, wrote that most of today's current forms of Large Group Awareness Training were modeled after the Leadership Dynamics Institute. Mathe cited Erhard Seminars Training, Landmark Education
, Lifespring, Insight Seminars, PSI Seminars
, New Warriors, and Impact as groups that were influenced by Leadership Dynamics.
William Penn Patrick
William Penn Patrick was an American entrepreneur and businessman. He was the owner of Holiday Magic, Leadership Dynamics, and Mind Dynamics. Patrick was a proponent of the sour grapes philosophy, and has been widely quoted as stating: "Those who condemn wealth are those who have none and see no...
. The company focused on executive training, personal development and self-improvement
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
. Leadership Dynamics was the first form of what psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
s termed "Large Group Awareness Training
Large Group Awareness Training
Large-group awareness training refers to activities usually offered by groups linked with the human potential movement which claim to increase self-awareness and bring about desirable transformations in individuals' personal lives...
".
History
William Penn Patrick wrote a booklet entitled Happiness and Success through Principle, in 1967, and founded Leadership Dynamics based on those principles. Every employee in the management of Holiday Magic were then expected to take part in the Leadership Dynamics coursework, which was described as having "overtones of strict military training techniques."William Penn Patrick was the financial backer of the company, and also provided the financial backing for Holiday Magic
Holiday Magic
Holiday Magic was a multi-level marketing organization, founded in 1964, by William Penn Patrick in the United States. Originally the organization distributed goods such as home-care products and cosmetics....
and Alexander Everett
Alexander Everett
Alexander Everett was a British self-improvement and personal development consultant. He was the founder of the company Mind Dynamics, and author of the motivational books The Genius Within You and Inward Bound...
's Mind Dynamics
Mind Dynamics
Mind Dynamics was a seminar company, founded by Alexander Everett in Texas in 1968. Mind Dynamics later led to two other companies, est and Lifespring....
. Patrick stated that students of the Leadership Dynamics Institute would be able to lead "a more creative and constructive life." Patrick utilized the principles of Everett's Mind Dynamics in his company.
Ben Gay, a high-level instructor at Leadership Dynamics, was President of Holiday Magic in the United States. Though he claimed Leadership Dynamics was a separate company, "..in no way related to Holiday Magic, Inc.", author Gene Church pointed out many inconsistencies in this statement. According to a lawsuit brought against Holiday Magic by the Securities and Exchange Commission, in order to advance to the positions of Instructor General, Trainer General, and Senior General within the company, employees were mandated to take part in the Leadership Dynamics training.
In 1970, William Penn Patrick bought Mind Dynamics, and the Leadership Dynamics coursework soon became popular in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. However, Patrick's businesses became involved in pyramid scheme
Pyramid scheme
A pyramid scheme is a non-sustainable business model that involves promising participants payment or services, primarily for enrolling other people into the scheme, rather than supplying any real investment or sale of products or services to the public...
s, and Leadership Dynamics, Holiday Magic, and Mind Dynamics shut down in 1973.
Techniques
Michael LangoneMichael Langone
Michael D. Langone, is an American counseling psychologist who specialises in research about "cultic groups" and alleged psychological manipulation. He is executive director of the International Cultic Studies Association, editor of the journal Cultic Studies Review.Langone is author and co-author...
wrote in Business and Society Review that Leadership Dynamics was one of the first "transformational trainings". The extreme form of human potential movement
Human Potential Movement
The Human Potential Movement arose out of the social and intellectual milieu of the 1960s and formed around the concept of cultivating extraordinary potential that its advocates believed to lie largely untapped in all people...
training led to a series of lawsuits for the company. This extreme training involved subjecting course participants to abusive practices such as beating, food and sleep deprivation, being placed inside of coffins, and degrading sexual acts.
Lawsuits against the company by former participants in the coursework alleged that students were sexually abused and tortured, including being placed in coffins or on crosses. Navarro and Navarro described the Leadership Dynamics training as utilizing a "harsh and hard hitting" form of group encounter therapy. The non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book, The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled
The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled
The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled is a non-fiction book on Mind Dynamics, Leadership Dynamics, and Holiday Magic, written by Gene Church and Conrad D. Carnes. The book was published Outerbridge & Lazard, Inc., in 1972, and was republished in a paperback edition in 1973, by Pocket Books. The book...
described some of these practices in great detail, and this was later made into a film, Circle of Power
Circle of Power
Circle of Power is a 1983 film, co-produced by Gary Mehlman, Anthony Quinn and Jeffrey White, and based on the book The Pit: A Group Encounter Defiled...
.
Influence
Navarro and Navarro write that Werner ErhardWerner Erhard
Werner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
later borrowed the "confrontational and abusive group encounter format" of Leadership Dynamics, and used it to develop Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"...
. Langone also noted that many forms of transformational trainings were at the least, indirectly influenced by Leadership Dynamics.
While working for Holiday Magic, Lifespring
Lifespring
Lifespring was a for-profit private company, founded in 1974. The company promoted itself through books and word of mouth advertising. By 1989, officials stated that over 300,000 people had enrolled in the company's seminars...
founder John Hanley attended a course at Leadership Dynamics. Chris Mathe, at the time a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
candidate in clinical psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
, wrote that most of today's current forms of Large Group Awareness Training were modeled after the Leadership Dynamics Institute. Mathe cited Erhard Seminars Training, Landmark Education
Landmark Education
Landmark Education LLC is a personal training and development company which offers educational programs in approximately 115 locations in more than 20 countries worldwide....
, Lifespring, Insight Seminars, PSI Seminars
PSI Seminars
PSI Seminars is a for-profit private company which offers Large Group Awareness Training courses. PSI was founded in 1973 by Thomas Willhite and Jane Willhite and the company is presently based out of Clearlake Oaks, California-Courses:...
, New Warriors, and Impact as groups that were influenced by Leadership Dynamics.
Further reading
- Report of the APA Task Force on Deceptive and Indirect Techniques of Persuasion and Control, Margaret SingerMargaret SingerDr. Margaret Thaler Singer, was a clinical psychologist and a part-time Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, U.S....
, Michael LangoneMichael LangoneMichael D. Langone, is an American counseling psychologist who specialises in research about "cultic groups" and alleged psychological manipulation. He is executive director of the International Cultic Studies Association, editor of the journal Cultic Studies Review.Langone is author and co-author...
, Jesse S. MillerJesse S. MillerJesse Stephen Miller was a psychologist and psychodynamic psychotherapist.-Education:*Ph.D., Psychology, UC Berkeley, 1970s*B.A., Art history, Columbia University, 1961-Biography:...
, Maurice K. TemerlinMaurice K. TemerlinMaurice K. Temerlin , was a psychologist and author.His contribution "Suggestion Effects in Psychiatric Diagnosis," in the 1975 Thomas J...
, Louis J. West, Harold Goldstein, November 1986. - Mankind Project, Haven Ministries, cited document which describes history of the company.
External links
- Spiritual gifts of inner peace & self-development, current Web site of Alexander EverettAlexander EverettAlexander Everett was a British self-improvement and personal development consultant. He was the founder of the company Mind Dynamics, and author of the motivational books The Genius Within You and Inward Bound...