Getting It: The Psychology of est
LC Class | RC489.E7 F46 |
Getting It: The Psychology of est, a
In the first section of Fenwick's book, she recounts the est training process and the methods used during the course. Fenwick details the rules or "agreements" laid out by the trainers to the attendees, which include not talking to others or leaving the session to go to the bathroom unless during an announced break period. The second section is analytic: Fenwick analyzes the methods used by the est trainers, evaluates the course's potential effects, and discusses Erhard's background. Fenwick concludes that the program's long-term effects are unknown, the est training may not be appropriate for certain groups of people, and that a large proportion of participants report perceived positive effects.
Writing in
Background
Est had its critics and proponents.
Author
Sheridan Fenwick, in her early thirties when Getting It was published,
Fenwick writes that although she had been trained as a
After some preliminary research, Fenwick decided to take the training as a participant rather than as a professional observer.[17] She paid the $250.00 course fee and enrolled in a four-day est program to examine its methods and its appeal.[8][18] She reports that the training was an "extraordinary experience", but that she had "serious concerns about the implications of the est phenomenon", and that people should know more about it.[17] The book was first published September 16, 1976, by J. B. Lippincott Company.[19] A second edition was published by Penguin Books in 1977. Fenwick went on to work as director of the Behavioral Medicine Clinic at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, before retiring in 1993 to set up Psybar, an online service to provide psychological experts for court cases.[20]
Contents
The book comprises two sections. The first section describes Fenwick's own experiences of the training; the second analyzes the est program's methodology and effects.[6] In her analysis of the course, she states:
"While the consensus of informed opinion, based on summaries of research findings, is that interventions similar to the est training have only modestly positive effects, I think that the existing research provides us with an underestimate of the effect of the est training. This training represents a distillation of some of the most powerful techniques and central precepts for attitude and behavior change ... I would guess that the effects of the est training are substantial for a large proportion of people."[21]
In the latter portion of the book Fenwick discusses comparisons of the est training to
Fenwick cites the secrecy of the est organization as an impediment to meaningful study, and states that the studies cited by est itself are inadequate and inconclusive.[23] Fenwick writes that a lack of "sophisticated research designs" limits the ability to properly determine long-term benefits or harm caused by the course[7] and notes: "est uses techniques indiscriminately which, in a certain proportion of the population, are known to be harmful and potentially quite dangerous".[24] She concludes that it is difficult to determine whether est "produces any more than a superficial catharsis, or whether it might be harmful to certain people", and states that the long-range effects of the training remain unknown.[23][need quotation to verify]
While reporting on testimonials of "perceived" changes as a result of the est training,[25] Fenwick asks rhetorically:
"Should we completely discount the testimonials of est graduates, knowing that they are not sufficiently rigorous measures to qualify as scientific evidence? I don't think so. The fact that positive testimonials are so readily obtained from est graduates, in combination with the observation that a majority of people who take the est training, continue to participate and have found the est experience to be rewarding. Even if 'objective' changes are not documented in people's lives, it is noteworthy that people feel happier, more satisfied, more relaxed, and more 'alive.' If you 'feel' happier, then you 'are' happier – objective circumstances notwithstanding. Subjective states are clearly an important component of our lives."[21]
Reception
Getting It received mixed, but generally positive, reviews. One positive evaluation came from psychiatrist James Charney, in a 1976 review for Library Journal. Charney calls the book "the only useful critical look at this essential issue", referring to the est training.[23] He notes in particular that Fenwick's "analysis of the function of the group, the restrictive rules, and the enforced discomfort is convincing".[23] In a 1977 review in Library Journal Edith Crockett and Ellis Mount highly recommended the book, commenting that "A plethora of newspaper and magazine reports, along with books written by graduates ... have attempted to explain the phenomenon of this self-help program, but none has done it as well or as objectively as this writer."[18] Kirkus Reviews noted the precedent set by the analytical nature of the book, writing "Finally. Here's someone who is willing to disclose the details of Erhard Seminars Training, and then go on to analyze them from a psychological point of view."[8] Zane Berzins, writing for The New York Times Book Review in 1977, describes Fenwick's work as a "calm and professionally informed view".[7] Berzins describes the book as a "brave attempt" at an analysis of est's appeal, and concludes that "It's hardly an incendiary exposé, but Fenwick's open-minded scrutiny should deglamourize the est movement."[7]
William McGurk reviewed the book in Contemporary Psychology. Although McGurk praises the book's description of the est seminars, noting that it "present[s] a clear picture of the process", he also criticizes Fenwick's subsequent analysis, saying she "sounds like a different person" than in the first section.[6] McGurk writes that "It's as though she put on her psychoanalytically oriented, professional hat and ran a tape that was far from being effective."[6] A review in Publishers Weekly states that Fenwick's "inbred detachment may have kept her from the full impact of the 'experience' the training was meant to be (and is for many)".[22] Even so, the review notes that Fenwick "scores heavily" in the section where she questions the nature of the est training and Erhard's background; it recommends that Getting It be read alongside Luke Rhinehart's The Book of est.[22]
The book is recommended by
Fenwick's work was cited in 1979 hearings before the
Notes
- ISBN 0-517-53502-5.
- ^ Pressman 1993, pp. 5–7
- ^ a b c d Hukill 1998
- ^ Fisher et al. 1990, p. 142
- ^ Denison 1995
- ^ a b c d e f g McGurk 1977, p. 460
- ^ a b c d e f g Berzins 1977, p. 25
- ^ a b c d Bader 1976, p. 821:
"Is est brainwashing? or psychotherapy? To what extent are the positive effects that subjects attribute to the training the result of self-fulfilling prophecy?"
- ^ Faltermayer, Charlotte (June 24, 2001). "The Best Of Est?". Time. Archived from the original on August 21, 2006. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
- Los Angeles, California. September 12, 1996.
- ^ Landmark Education Corporation: Selling a Paradigm Shift", Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA, Karen Hopper and Mikelle Fisher Eastley, 9-898-081, p.1, Rev. April 22, 1998
- ISBN 9780397011704. Retrieved October 8, 2008. LC Control Number: 76020617; LC Call Number: RC489.E7 F46
- ^ a b McGurk 1977, p. 459
- dissertation, Cornell University, 1975).
- ^ Fenwick 1976, p. 14
- ^ Fenwick 1976, p. 15
- ^ a b Fenwick 1976, p. 16
- ^ a b c Crockett & Mount 1977, p. 552
- ^ The New York Times staff 1976
- ^ Chamberlin 1998
- ^ a b Fenwick 1976, p. 141–151
- ^ a b c Publishers Weekly staff 1976, p. 76
- ^ a b c d e Charney 1976, p. 2071
- ^ a b c d United States Congress 1979, p. 356
- ISBN 0-397-01170-9, page 142 - "Another survey of est graduates is referred to as the 'Outcome Study' and was reported in summary form by Robert Ornstein and Charles Swencionis, in a memorandum dated June 24, 1975. ... The authors of this report note that their research was not a demonstration of actual changes in people's health, but only of changes that people reported they perceived in their lives."
- ^ Lewis & Melton 1992, p. 318
- ^ Conway & Siegelman 1995, p. 349
- ^ Fisher et al. 1990, p. 82
- ^ Rubinstein 2005, p. 490
References
- Bader, Barbara, ed. (July 15, 1976), "Getting It", Kirkus Reviews, 44 (Part II, Section No. 14): 821
- Berzins, Zane (February 6, 1977), "Getting It", The New York Times Book Review, 82, The New York Times Company: 25
- Chamberlin, Jamie (June 1998), "For these psychologists, retirement has been no time for slowing down: Five APA members embark on new careers when others might be more inclined to relax", APA Monitor, 29 (6), American Psychological Association, retrieved April 11, 2008
- Charney, James (Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine) (October 1, 1976), "Review of Getting It alongside Hargrove, Robert est: Making Life Work, and Rhinehart, Luke The Book of est", Library Journal, 101 (17): 2071)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 0-9647650-0-4
- Crockett, Edith S.; Mount, Ellis (March 1, 1977), "Sci-Tech Books of 1976", Library Journal, 102 (5): 543–552
- Denison, Charles Wayne (June 1995), "The children of EST: A study of the experience and perceived effects of a large group awareness training", Dissertation Abstracts International, 55 (12–B), ISSN 0419-4217
- Fenwick, Sheridan (1976), Getting It: The psychology of est, ISBN 0-397-01170-9
- Fenwick, Sheridan (1977), Getting It: The psychology of est, Harmondsworth: ISBN 0-14-004467-1
- Fisher, Jeffrey D.; Cohen Silver, Roxane; Chinsky, Jack M.; Goff, Barry; Klar, Yechiel (1990), ISBN 0-387-97320-6
- Hukill, Tracy (July 9, 1998), "The est of Friends: Werner Erhard's protégés and siblings carry the torch for a '90s incarnation of the '70s 'training' that some of us just didn't get", Metro Silicon Valley, Metro Newspapers, archived from the original on January 23, 2009, retrieved April 11, 2008
- ISBN 0-7914-1213-X
- McGurk, William S. (June 1977), "Was Ist est?", Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 22 (6): 459–460, doi:10.1037/016030
- The New York Times staff (September 16, 1976), "New Books Today", The New York Times, p. 37
- ISBN 0-312-09296-2
- Publishers Weekly staff (July 26, 1976), "Getting It: The Psychology of est", Publishers Weekly, 210: 76
- Rubinstein, Gidi (December 2005), "Characteristics of participants in the Forum, psychotherapy clients, and control participants: A comparative study", Psychology and Psychotherapy, 78 (4), PMID 16354440
- United States Government Printing Office, p. 356