Werner Erhard and Associates
Encyclopedia
Werner Erhard and Associates, also known as WE&A or as WEA, operated as a commercial entity from February 1981 until early 1991. It replaced Erhard Seminars Training, Inc.
as the vehicle for marketing, selling and imparting the content of the est training
, and offered what some people refer to as "personal-growth" programs. Initially WE&A marketed and staged the est training
(in the form of the est seminar
s and workshop
s), but in 1984 it introduced a modified, shortened and less intensive introduction to Werner Erhard
's teachings, dubbed "The Forum".
In 1991 Erhard sold the assets of WE&A to a group of employees, who later formed Landmark Education
. Erhard then retired and left the United States.
For additional Information, see Werner Erhard
and est
.
book Self Realization: The est and Forum Phenomena in American Society, Espy M. Navarro and Robert Navarro stated:
A scientific study, commissioned by Werner Erhard and Associates and conducted by a team of psychology professors, concluded that attending the Forum had minimal lasting effects — positive or negative — on participants' self-perception. The research won an American Psychological Association
"National Psychological Consultants to Management Award" in 1989.
The results of the research study appeared in two articles in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
in 1989, and in 1990, and in 1990 in a book titled "Evaluating a Large Group Awareness 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"...
as the vehicle for marketing, selling and imparting the content of the est 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"...
, and offered what some people refer to as "personal-growth" programs. Initially WE&A marketed and staged the est 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"...
(in the form of the est seminar
Seminar
Seminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is...
s and workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
s), but in 1984 it introduced a modified, shortened and less intensive introduction to Werner Erhard
Werner Erhard
Werner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
's teachings, dubbed "The Forum".
In 1991 Erhard sold the assets of WE&A to a group of employees, who later formed 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....
. Erhard then retired and left the United States.
Timeline
Werner Erhard
Werner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
and est
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"...
.
- February 1981: Werner Erhard and Associates (WE&A) set up.
- 1984: WE&A replaces the estErhard Seminars TrainingErhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"...
training with "The Forum". - 1991: Erhard sold the assets of WE&A to a group of employees, who later formed Landmark Education.
Evaluations of "The Forum"
In their self-publishedSelf-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
book Self Realization: The est and Forum Phenomena in American Society, Espy M. Navarro and Robert Navarro stated:
What is a factFactA fact is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. The usual test for a statement of fact is verifiability, that is whether it can be shown to correspond to experience. Standard reference works are often used to check facts...
is that the collective experienceExperienceExperience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event....
s of over 1,400,000 human beings who have gone through either the est training or the Forum series, and each of their particular contributions that have resulted from these experiences have certainly had an impact on America and the world.
Werner Erhard, without any formal credentials, degrees or advanced educational training used his innate intelligence, intuition and insight to promote self-awarenessSelf-awarenessSelf-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals...
in the United States. In the 1970’s he was right for the times — in synch with the fledgling "me generation." By the time that he had retired the est training in 1984, and when he left the Forum in 1991, almost 750,000 people had undergone the courses that he had developed and marketed ... providing one of the best and quickest opportunities available to radically alter one’s life. The importance of the est training and the Forum series, especially in the United States, is in the form of individual contributions that have transformed and enabled the people of this nation to enjoy a new level of spiritualitySpiritualitySpirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
, empowermentEmpowermentEmpowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities...
, perceptionPerceptionPerception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
and enhancement of their personal enlivenment and contributionContributionContribute may refer to:*Adobe Contribute Web editing softwareContribution may refer to:*Donation*Sharing*Payment*Contribution : a payment between defendants with joint and several liability to apportion liability....
.
A scientific study, commissioned by Werner Erhard and Associates and conducted by a team of psychology professors, concluded that attending the Forum had minimal lasting effects — positive or negative — on participants' self-perception. The research won an American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
"National Psychological Consultants to Management Award" in 1989.
The results of the research study appeared in two articles in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
The Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology is a bimonthly psychology journal of the American Psychological Association. Its focus is on treatment and prevention in all areas of clinical and clinical-health psychology and especially on topics that appeal to a broad clinical-scientist and...
in 1989, and in 1990, and in 1990 in a book titled "Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training
Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training
Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training: A Longitudinal Study of Psychosocial Effects is a non-fiction psychology book on Large Group Awareness Training, published in 1990 by Springer-Verlag. The book was co-authored by psychologists Jeffrey D. Fisher, Roxane Cohen Silver, Jack M. Chinsky,...
".
See also
- Semi-ToughSemi-ToughSemi-Tough is a 1977 film directed by Michael Ritchie and starring Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Lotte Lenya, Bert Convy, and Brian Dennehy. The plot involves a love triangle between the characters portrayed by Reynolds, Kristofferson and Clayburgh...
: a satirical movie spoofingParodyA parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
Erhard Seminars TrainingErhard Seminars TrainingErhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"... - Outrageous BetrayalOutrageous BetrayalOutrageous Betrayal: The Dark Journey of Werner Erhard from est to Exile was written by freelance journalist Steven Pressman and first published in 1993 by St. Martin's Press...
: The Dark Journey of Werner ErhardWerner ErhardWerner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
from est to Exile, by Steven PressmanSteven PressmanSteven Pressman is an American legal journalist, freelance journalist, investigative journalist and biographer. He is the author of the biography of Werner Erhard, titled: Outrageous Betrayal, published by St. Martin's Press in 1993...
. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. ISBN 0-312-09296-2
External links
- est and Werner Erhard, The Skeptic's Dictionary