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Landmark Education
Company typePrivate LLC
IndustrySelf-help, self-improvement, large group awareness training
FoundedJanuary 1991
HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, USA
Key people
Harry Rosenberg: Director[1]; CEO

Mick Leavitt: President; Director[2]
Steven Zaffron: Director[2]; CEO, Landmark Education Business Development (LEBD)
Art Schreiber: General Counsel; Chairman, BOD; Director[2]
Martin Leaf: Counsel[3] [4]
Joan Rosenberg: Vice President, Centers Division; Director
Nancy Zapolski: Vice President, Course Development
Laurel Scheaf: Director[2]; Landmark Forum Leader
Sanford Robbins: Director[2]

Brian Regnier: Course Designer
ProductsThe Landmark Forum, associated coursework
RevenueIncrease8.6% to
USD$76 million (2005)[5]
IncreaseUSD$2.5 million[6] (1997)
Number of employees
more than 450 employees (2006);
722 volunteer leaders[7]; several employed leaders (2006);
7,500 volunteers in "Assisting Program" (1998)[8]
SubsidiariesLandmark Education Business Development (LEBD)
Landmark Education International, Inc.[9]
Tekniko Licensing Corporation[10]
LandmarkDating
Rancord Company, Ltd.
WebsiteLandmark Education homepage

Landmark Education LLC (LE), is a training company, offering what it refers to as training and development programs in over 20 different countries. It is an employee-owned, private company based in San Francisco, California. Its introductory course is called "The Landmark Forum".

Landmark Education purchased the intellectual property of Werner Erhard and Associates, a successor to the controversial Est Training, and since its foundation in 1991 has developed other courses.

The company markets its courses primarily to individuals. Its subsidiary Landmark Education Business Development (LEBD) provides training and consulting to organizations. Its subsidiary Tekniko Licensing Corporation licenses Landmark's "technology" to management consulting firms.

Landmark Education has been criticized about whether its courses produce worthwhile benefits to participants, its use of volunteers, and its origins.[11]

Corporation

Origin and evolution

Name From To
The Foundation for the Realization of Man 1973 July 1976
The est Foundation July 1976 February 1981
Werner Erhard and Associates February 1981 January 16, 1991
Breakthrough Technologies January 16, 1991 January 23, 1991
Transnational Education Corp. January 23, 1991 May 7, 1991
Landmark Education Corporation May 7, 1991 February 2003
Landmark Education, LLC February 2003 present

Landmark Education, known from May 7, 1991 [12] to February 26, 2003 [13] as "Landmark Education Corporation (LEC)", purchased [14] certain rights to a presentation known as The Forum from Werner Erhard and Associates (WEA, the corporate successor of Erhard Seminars Training — est or EST). The new owners, including former staff of WEA, renamed the course The Landmark Forum, further developed its content and shortened the four-day, two-weekend WEA "Forum" to three full days. Landmark Education states that it made changes to the course content at that time, and that a major re-design of the Landmark Forum took place in 1999.[citation needed]

The group of people who purchased the rights registered themselves initially as Transnational Education, as The Centers Network, and (in Japan) as Rancord Company, Ltd. [15]. Corporation as "Landmark Education Corporation" (LEC) took place later in 1991. In February 2003, Landmark Education LLC succeeded LEC. [16]

The coursework and pedagogy of WEA evolved from est/Erhard Seminars Training, founded by Werner Erhard in 1971. est/WEA/Landmark underwent multiple changes of name and curriculum[citation needed] after the founding of est. (For a time-line, see the article on Erhard Seminars Training.)

According to Landmark Education, Werner Erhard consults from time to time with its "Research and Design team". [17] (See also an article in Time Magazine. [18] ) Erhard's younger brother (Harry Rosenberg) works as Landmark Education's Chief Executive Officer, and their sister (Joan Rosenberg) serves as the Vice President of Landmark Education's Centers Division.

According to statements made by Landmark Education CEO Harry Rosenberg in 2001:

...Erhard [in 1991] kept the Mexican and Japanese branches of the operation...Last year, [2000] Landmark had revenues of $58 million, and ... the company has bought outright Erhard's license and his rights to Japan and Mexico. [19]

Structure and financials

Landmark Education LLC operates as an employee-owned for-profit private company. According to Landmark Education's fact sheet, its employees own all the stock of the corporation, [20] with no individual holding more than 3%. The company states that it operates in such a way as to invest its surpluses into making its programs, initiatives and services more widely available. [21] The shareholders elect a Board of Directors [2] annually. A list of executive officers appears in the box above.

As of 2005, 70,000 to 80,000 people took the Landmark Forum annually, and around 50,000 take other courses offered. [22]

As of 2006 Landmark Education maintained 52 offices in 21 countries [23] , with more than half of its offices in North America.

Landmark Education reported revenues of $70 million for 2004 [24]; $76 million in 2005 [25] . In 1997, Landmark had 451 employees, 7,500 volunteers in the United States alone, spent $13 million on employee salaries and bonuses, spent $4 million on travel, and made a profit of $2.5 million which was re-invested in the expansion of the company's operations [26].

According to Landmark Education, since 1991, over 880,000 people had participated in the Landmark Forum. [27]

Subsidiaries

Landmark Education's subsidiaries include Landmark Education Business Development (LEBD), and Tekniko Licensing Corporation.

Landmark Education Business Development

Landmark Education Business Development was founded in 1993, and utilizes the "technology" of Landmark Education in providing consulting services to various companies.

The University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business carried out a case study into the work of Landmark Education Business Development (LEBD) at BHP New Zealand Steel. The report concluded that the set of interventions in the organization produced a 50% improvement in safety, a 15% to 20% reduction in key benchmark costs, a 50% increase in return on capital, and a 20% increase in raw steel production. The USC makes the full report available.

Tekniko Licensing Corporation

Tekniko Licensing Corporation was originally owned by Werner Erhard, and is the successor organization to his Transformational Technologies. Transformational Technologies was originally incorporated in 1984 by Werner Erhard and a management consultant named James Selman[28]

According to Landmark Education, Tekniko Licensing Corporation is one of the company's "wholly owned subsidiaries"[29] However, according to SEC filings, Tekniko Licensing Corporation is actually owned fully by a Terry M. Giles. [30] As of March 31, 2006, Mr. Terry M. Giles is also listed in SEC filings as the Chairman of the Board of Landmark Education Corporation. [31]

Programs

Scope and claims

Landmark Education portrays itself as "a global enterprise whose purpose is to empower and enable people and organizations to generate and fulfill new possibilities. We create and provide programs, services, and paradigms that produce extraordinary results for our customers." [32] Landmark Education states that over 880,000 people have taken part in its introductory program, "The Landmark Forum" since 1991. [33] It has compiled a text entitled "Independent Research, Case Studies, and Surveys" devoted to its courses on its corporate website, [34]and trains its own course instructors intensively in Landmark's pedagogy (also known internally as "technology").

The precise content of Landmark Education courses remains closely guarded by copyright, but a course syllabus appears on-line.

Course Content of the Landmark Forum

A paper published in the January through April 2001 edition of the "Journal of Contemporary Philosophy" distributed through the Social Sciences Research Network (authored by Professor Steven McCarl, Professor Joyce Nielsen and Landmark Education Business Development CEO Steve Zaffron): "The Promise of Philosophy and the Landmark Forum", gives the following abstract for the Landmark Forum:

Abstract Philosophy promises more than contents of thought. It can cultivate openness to continuously arising new contents of thought. Unconsciously identifying with the contents of thought displaces this openness; the remedy for such unnoticed closed mindedness is self-knowledge. In the Socratic tradition the Landmark Forum — a forty-hour course sponsored by the employee owned Landmark Educational Corporation — provides a model of philosophy as the practical art of uncovering and expanding self-knowledge and thereby generating unforeseen ways of being in everyday life. [35]

Structure of the Landmark Forum

The Landmark Forum takes place over three consecutive days and an evening session (generally Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday evening.) Each full day begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at approximately 10:00 p.m. Breaks occur approximately every 2 to 3 hours, with a 90-minute dinner break. Forum leaders assign homework for participants to carry out during breaks and after the course ends in the evening. The evening session generally runs from 7:00 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. (in certain locations, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.). [36]

Memberships and accreditations

Landmark Education and its subsidiaries hold memberships in the following professional associations and organizations, as per its website [37]

  • American Society for Training and Development
  • International Society for Performance Improvement
  • American Management Association
  • International Association for Continuing Education and Training (Membership Details) (CEU Qualifications)
  • Academy of Management

Courses

  1. The Landmark Forum, introductory course and pre-requisite for other courses
  2. Landmark Forum in Action Seminar, optional seminar included in tuition of the Landmark Forum
  3. The Landmark Advanced Course
  4. Self Expression and Leadership Program (SELP)

Other programs

Assisting Program

Chief Executive Officer Harry Rosenberg commented on the Assisting Program in a 1997 Harvard Business School case study (now out of print):

In addition to our 420 staff members around the world, the people in the Assisting Program play a critical role at Landmark. We have a remarkable group of 7500 people participating on a weekly basis. They are both committed to our work, and to getting personal value out of the Assisting Program. They know we are a for-profit businesss and still they commit their time and effort. [38]

The Introduction Leader Program (ILP)

The ILP consists of a six-month intensive leadership-training program that prepares participants to lead Introductions to the Landmark Forum. The course forms the foundation of the training for leaders of all of Landmark Education's other programs. [citation needed]

Jargon/Distinctions

Landmark Education utilizes some specific terms ("distinctions") in their courses. Articles in Metroactive and Life Positive have provided short lexicons of a few terms. See also the section below on "loaded language", under criticism.

  • Racket(s): A recurring complaint in tandem with a "way of being" that allows a person to justify themself and their point of view but which can rob them of opportunities for satisfaction and joy; A way of being that allows us to justify ourselves and our point of view; preconceived notions of why we are right and others are wrong.
  • Formula for success, or Winning formula : Ways of being that have worked repeatedly in the past but which can obstruct more effective approaches; A way of being that has worked well in the past and that we keep using, which keeps us from perceiving new options.
  • Vicious circle: Possibility-limiting concepts that determine experience and shape future experiences; A sphere where our concepts determine our experience.
  • Taking a stand: Putting attention on a vision for the future; Putting our attention on our vision of life that gives us self-expression
  • Distinguishing ourselves and our world through language: The world consists of language and can be altered through language.
  • Breakthrough: Abandoning old habits and embracing a new way of being; Looking at things from a different perspective, getting a new understanding of life.
  • Already/always listening: Listening to others with preconceived notions of what they really mean.

Sources: [39], [40]

Other terms are defined in their literature:

  • distinction / distinguish: "[t]o distinguish something means to take something from an undifferentiated background and bring it to the foreground." [41]
  • Understanding: "In life, understanding is the booby prize."[42]

Evaluations of Landmark Education

Landmark Education relies heavily on testimonials from customers to portray its effectiveness. Studies, surveys, and opinions vary in their reported outcomes.

Academic studies

Fisher study

An academic study commissioned by Werner Erhard and Associates and conducted by a team of psychology professors (mostly associated with the University of Connecticut) concluded that attending a (pre-Landmark) Forum had minimal lasting effects, positive or negative, on participants' self-perception. [43] This thoroughly scientific study won a 1989 American Psychological Association award. [citation needed]

Denison thesis

Charles Wayne Denison's 1994 Ph.D. research at the University of Denver involved interviewing participants in the Landmark Forum. It reported a "varied impact on participants" ranging from neutral to positive:

The observation and interview data suggest that these curricula have a varied impact on participants; some report a certain distinction as having personal impact, while other participants scarcely recall the concept. [44]

Studies commissioned by Landmark Education

DYG study

An analysis done for Landmark Education by DYG, Inc. and interpreted by Daniel Yankelovich, chairman of DYG, Inc., ("Analysis of The Landmark Forum and Its Benefits") consisted of a survey conducted of more than 1300 people who completed The Landmark Forum during a three-month period at some undisclosed time. Some details of the study methodology, especially concerning sampling methods and demographics of study participants, remain undefined in what Landmark Education refers to as the "Full Study" [45] . It remains unknown whether Yankelovich ever participated in any Landmark Education coursework, or whether he functioned in the role of a detached commentator. However, Landmark Education has presented a summary of the survey results under the heading "Independent Research, Case Studies, and Surveys" [46] . On the other hand, Yankelovich himself personally endorses Landmark Education in his book The Magic of Dialog (2001, pages 143 - 144) [47].

Yankelovich concluded from the survey that 90% to 95% self-reported "value" in taking the course. [48] [49]

Harris Interactive

A survey carried out by Harris Interactive for Landmark Education Corporation concluded that one third of respondents who had "completed the Landmark Forum" self-reported an increase of 25% or more in their incomes, 70% worried less about money and assessed themselves as more effective in managing their finances, and an unspecified percentage reported working fewer hours. Landmark Education's summary of the survey has not made it clear over what time-duration or when Harris Interactive conducted this study. [50]

Other studies

International Society for Performance Improvement

The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) website contains a 2005 report of Landmark Education Business Development (LEBD)'s involvement with improving safety at Minera Escondida Ltd., which ran the largest copper-mine in the world and employed 5,000 people. The ISPI report notes that when LEBD started working with Minera Escondida, the company had a total injury-frequency rate of 23.7 accidents per million man-hours worked. Five months later, after LEBD had finished its program with Minera Escondida, the injury rate had reduced by over 50% to 11.5 accidents per million man-hours worked. ISPI reported that Landmark "created" this environment of improved safety. The ISPI awarded LEBD a "Got Results" award for its actions. [51]

The Talent Foundation

A study by the Talent Foundation [52], chaired by Sir Christopher Ball (Chancellor, University of Derby), and led by Dr. Javier Bajer, used the Landmark Forum for the initial stage of a study ('"A Shortcut to Motivated and Adaptive Workforces"). The study found that:

"Within two years of participating from Landmark's three-day program, individuals showed:

  • Significantly higher levels of self-esteem, motivation, and self-confidence.
  • More proactive attitudes related to their learning and ability to apply new skills at work.
  • More confidence in finding opportunities to apply their skills and make a difference at work." [53]

For details of litigation involving Landmark Education, see Landmark Education litigation.

For general discussion of legal matters not necessarily resulting in court cases, see Landmark Education and the law.

In November 2006, Landmark Education used legal action designed to discover the identities of anonymous internet users who posted material critical of Landmark's activities. In that case, Landmark attempted to use the direct subpoena provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to discover the identity of the anonymous internet posters – and to suppress the posting – of the critical French documentary Voyage Au Pays Des Nouveaux Gourous in the Internet Archive, YouTube and Google.

Labor investigations

United States

A United States Department of Labor investigation into Landmark Education's labor practices took place in Colorado, between January 1994 to 1996. The initial complaint arose out of an intent to classify volunteers as employees, subject to the Fair Labor Standards act."[54].

The wage and hourly investigator noted:

The strongest supporting argument for the volunteer position appears,

as borne out by the inteviews almost exclusively, that none of the assistants have been promised or expect compensation but work solely for their personal purpose works in activities carried on by Subject [Landmark Education] for both their pleasure or profit.

The investigator continued to state that:

On the other hand, the strongest supporting argument for finding that the assistants are employees was ironically cited by outside counsel in Marshall v. Baptist Hospital which found that, if the assistants can be considered trainees, they displace regular employees that they would otherwise have to hire. Subject weakly counters that this, in fact, is not the case since the assistants are under direction by staff. Perhaps more importantly, the assistant activities is a common industry practice. In so stating, it should be noted that Subject is a for profit, and not a non-profit, enterprise.

In the investigator's conclusions, it was noted that "No records are kept of any hours worked by any employees."

A 1998 article in Metro, Silicon Valley's Weekly Newspaper entitled: "The est of Friends" reported on labor investigations into Landmark Education's volunteers. At that time, the Department of Labor ruled that Landmark Education's volunteers were actually employees subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act. According to the Metroactive article the Department of Labor later "dropped the issue" after Landmark Education cited its "volunteers' choice in the matter".[55].

More recently, the United States Federal Department of Labor investigated Landmark Education's labor practices in Texas, from February 1, 2003 to June 26, 2006. In the investigation, the Department of Labor took that position that there was a "minimum wage violation found", with regard to: "Volunteers (Assistants) are not paid any wages for hours worked while performing the major duties of the firm." Landmark Education takes the position that the assistants are volunteers, not employees.[56].

France

In 1994, the French Department of Labor investigated Landmark Education's labor practices[57].

This was later mentioned in a May 24, 2004 broadcast of the investigative report ("Voyage to the land of the new gurus") on France 3 television network's show Pièces à conviction; which highlighted (amongst other issues) the matter of volunteer labor.

In June 2004, the French labor agency (L’Inspection du Travail) investigated labor practices regarding "volunteer workers". Shortly thereafter, Landmark Education officially ended its operations in France[58]. It remains unclear what role the investigation played in the official ending of Landmark Education operations. [59]

Criticism and controversy

Critics of Landmark Education make accusations which generally fall into one or more of these areas:

  • Questioning whether the courses do really produce worthwhile benefits, or produce harmful results
  • Suggesting that participating in the programs may have harmful consequences
  • Speculating that the Landmark Education system may exploit customers (financially or otherwise)

Several individuals and organizations have claimed that Landmark is a cult or is cult-like, a claim Landmark considers factually false and defamatory. Courts in the United States have sided with Landmark, and these claims have been retracted in the face of legal chanlenges[citation needed]. Others have criticized, for example, the aggressiveness of Landmark's sales and marketing techniques. The U.S. Department of Labor in 1998 questioned the depth of the organization's reliance on volunteers to market to participants and to staff its events — an unusual situation for a for-profit company. Landmark Education prevailed, citing that the volunteers were choosing to volunteer[citation needed].

Allegations of cult or cult-like status

(See also the previous section on litigation.)

Dr. Louise Samways included material on Landmark Education in her book on personal development courses and cults: Dangerous Persuaders: An expose of gurus, personal development courses and cults, and how they operate. She had not conducted empirical observation of Landmark Education's programs, but rather relied on testimony from separate sources, stating that her opinion:

evolved ... from thousands of personal stories told to me over many years by my patients and people attending my seminars and lectures. I have mentioned the names of groups and courses only where I have heard similar and consistent stories from many separate sources... [I]t should not be assumed that the groups, courses or individuals mentioned in this book are necessarily the worst or biggest. I have only mentioned those that are well known and where my own patients have shared their personal experiences with me. [60]

Samways went on to mention Landmark Education's psychological techniques:

The courses I worry about particularly are those attempting dramatic change in short periods of time, such as Landmark Education, EST, Forum, Money & You and Hoffman Process, for they are misusing the psychological techniques allied to hypnosis in order to make the behavioural changes. [61]

Dr. Norbert Nedopil, head of the department of forensic psychiatry at the University of Munich, in a 2002 study comparing Scientology and Landmark Education[62] commissioned by the German state of Bavaria, excluded the possibility of classifying Landmark Education as a cult, or as cult-like in any way. In the study he reported that: "On the basis of empirical investigation, it can be said that to the largest extent, Landmark Education does not present risks to the health, free will and legal integrity of its participants. Nor is there any evidence that the Landmark Forum is harmful."[63] However, the study did state that "In Scientology, 9 of the 10 highest risk methods of controlling communications processes were used, with Landmark 6 of 10 high risk methods came in to play in the sense of manipulation."[64]

An article in The Observer, a London Sunday newspaper, (December 2003) denied cultic connotations.

Landmark has faced accusations of being a cult, but I saw nothing of that. Far from working to separate us from our families and friends, we were told there was no relationship too dead to be revived, no love too cold to be warmed. [65]

In 1994, a report of the Senate Committee of the State of Berlin in Germany placed Landmark Education on a list entitled "entities espousing a world view and new religions." Landmark Education sued for correction and, on May 14, 1997, the Berlin court (Volksgericht 27A) endorsed a new classification scheme within the Senate report: "provider of life guidance" (Anbieter von Lebenshilfe). [66]

France's 1995 parliamentary commission report (Unofficial English translation), published a list of purported cults compiled by the general information division of the French National Police (Renseignements généraux) in association with cult-watching groups, included Landmark Education. In May 2005 the then Prime Minister of France, in a circulaire which stressed that the government must exercise vigilance in taking account of the evolution of the cult-phenomenon, which makes the list of movements attached to the Parliamentary Report of 1995 less and less pertinent, based on the observation that formation of small groups that are scattered more mobile and less-easily identifiable, and which make use in particular of the possibilities of spreading offered by the Internet. The Prime Minister asked his civil servants to update a number of ministerial instructions issued by previous commissions and apply criteria set in consultation with the Interministerial Commission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviances (MIVILUDES), and avoid falling back on lists of groups for the identification of cultic deviances.[67]

On June 6, 2004 Landmark Education ceased operating in Sweden. As in France, the causes of the closure included a diminishing public interest in participating, evinced in connection with very critical articles in the press and on television [68] . The airing of two documentaries on national Swedish television by the broadcasting corporation TV4 on October 28, 2003 and on March 15, 2004 called "Lycka till salu" (Happiness for sale) in the program series "Kalla Fakta" contributed to the termination of the organization there. [69] [citation needed]

In 1996, the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Youth and the Family, in Austria published a list of 200 groups it considers to be sects. [70] According to the official United States Department of State report on religious freedom in Austria for 2006, Landmark Education does not appear on the list[71] Other, unofficial copies of the 2006 report and official versions of prior reports of the United States Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report 2006, as released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor[72]. The vast majority of these sectes are small organizations with fewer than 100 members. Among the larger groups included was Landmark Education, but the State Department report does not specify if these groups are included in the list compiled by the Austrian Federal Ministry. See also the 1999 International Religious Freedom Report[73], the 2000 report[74], the 2002 Report[75], the 2003 Report[76], the 2004 Report[77], and the 2005 Report[78].

Religious implications

Religious Philosophy

There are conflicting reports in regard to Landmark's philosophy as being religious in nature, or as being in conflict with the doctrines of established religions.

Paul Derengowski, formerly of the Christian cult-watch group Watchman.org, states that Landmark "has theological implications". [79] The Apologetics Index (an online Christian ministry providing research resources on what it considers cults, sects, other religious movements, doctrines, and practices) maintains a page on Landmark Education. [80]

An opposing view is decribed in the article "A Very Nineties Weekend" in the international Roman-Catholic weekly The Tablet stating that several Catholic priests have endorsed Landmark, and that the Trappist monk Basil Pennington has praised the Forum for bringing about a "full human enlivenment". [81]

Other examples of opinions from clergy appear on the Landmark Education Website.

Sales and marketing practices

In an article "The Best of Est?" published in Time Magazine on March 16, 1998, Charlotte Faltermayer wrote:

Critics say Landmark is an elaborate marketing game that relies heavily on volunteers. Says Tom Johnson, an "exit counselor" often summoned by concerned parents to tend to alumni: "They tire your brain; they make you vulnerable." Says critic Liz Sumerlin: "The participants end up becoming recruiters. That's the whole purpose." Psychiatrists who speak on Landmark's behalf dispute these claims. But Sumerlin says a 1993 Forum turned her fiance (now her ex) into a robot. She organized an anti-Landmark hot line and publications clearinghouse. Landmark officials made sounds to sue her.

In 1996, Jill P. Capuzzo from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Weekend took the Landmark Forum and reported:

I made some eye-opening discoveries about myself and how I function in the world. [...] One of the most irritating aspects of The Forum is the hard sell to sign up future participants. [82]

Allegations of brainwashing

Three court cases involving Landmark have included the claim of brainwashing; each with a different outcome:

  1. In Ney vs. Landmark Education et al. (1992), Stephanie Ney sued Landmark claiming she suffered a mental breakdown following participation in the Landmark Forum; the court ruled that while her participation may have played a part in her breakdown, Virginia law did not allow her to claim damages since she suffered no physical harm.
  2. In Been vs. Weed and Landmark Education (2002), Jason Weed claimed that the Landmark Advanced Course had caused him to experience a psychotic episode in which he killed a postal service employee. Though the court ruled that Landmark did not precipitate his psychosis in the Federal criminal trial of Weed, the wrongful death civil suit against Landmark by the family of the deceased is currently still ongoing.
  3. In Landmark Education vs. Lell, Landmark sued Martin Lell for using the word "Brainwashing" in the title of his book on Landmark Education (Das Forum: Protokoll einer Gehirnwäsche: Der Psycho-Konzern Landmark Education [The Forum: Account of a Brainwashing: The Psycho-Outfit Landmark Education], Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, Munich, 1997, ISBN 3-423-36021-6). The court ruled the description "brainwashing" a matter of opinion, and let the title of the book stand.

In 1999 Landmark Education asked Dr. Raymond Fowler, a psychologist and past President of the American Psychological Association (APA), to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and appropriateness of the procedures in the Landmark Forum. Fowler reported that he saw nothing to suggest harm to participants, and that the course had none of the characteristics associated with a cult, and that there were no risk of "mind control", "brainwashing", or "thought control". [83].

Use of "loaded language"

Some articles have written that the Landmark Education's coursework uses "loaded language" and "jargon" :

A former Erhard Seminars Training disciple made the comparison to "loaded language", in an article in NOW Toronto [84]. In an article in New York Magazine, the writer states that "the Forum drives its points home with loaded language, relentless repetition, and a carefully constructed environment." [85] In a 2000 article in the Phoenix News Times, the author specifically referenced the work of Dr. Robert Jay Lifton as relevant and discussed his eight criteria for answering the question: "Isn't this brainwashing?"[86]. In the Elle Magazine article "Do you believe in Miracles?", the author refers to the use of "a slick web of palliative jargon."[87] The London Times referred to this use of language as "eccentric jargon"[88].


See also

People associated with Landmark Education, past/present

Media

Other

Landmark Education websites

Other viewpoints

References and footnotes

  1. ^ "When it comes to Landmark Education Corporation, There's no meeting of the Minds", Steve Jackson , Westword, April 24, 1996.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Minutes of the General Meeting of The Board of Directors of Landmark Education Corporation, August 19, 2002, San Francisco, California.
  3. ^ Landmark Education Settles Lawsuit with Cult Awareness Network, Business Wire, November 10, 1997.
  4. ^ Landmark Education v. Cult Awareness Network, Cook County, Illinois, Martin N. Leaf, Esq., 1991
  5. ^ Landmark Financial Information, Landmark Education Corporate Website
  6. ^ The est of Friends, Metroactive Features, July 15, 1998 issue of Metro, Metro Publishing Inc.
  7. ^ The Landmark Seminar Leader Program, Landmark Education website, 2006, states: "Seminar leaders are accomplished women and men who volunteer their time and talent..."
  8. ^ "The est of Friends", Metroactive Features, July 15, 1998 issue of Metro, Metro Publishing Inc.
  9. ^ See quote: "'This letter serves as the consent by Landmark Education Corporation for the use of the name "Landmark Education International, Inc." by our wholly-owned subsidiary, currently known as Werner Erhard and Associates International, Inc."., Articles of Incorporation, January 16, 1991
  10. ^ Tekniko Licensing Corporation, advertisement for Tekniko position on Landmark Education's corporate website: "one of Landmark Education's wholly owned subsidiaries, Tekniko Licensing Corporation. "
  11. ^ Among many recent articles, examples include: “Mixed view of forums.” Sunday Times (Perth, Australia). June 25, 2006 Sunday. Country Edition. Pg. 32; DeKok, David. “Tuition expenses probed.” The Patriot-News. December 18, 2005; “New-school-to-open-amid-high-hopes.” The Miami Herald (Florida). July 16, 2006 Sunday; Mullally, Una. “Una, I'd really encourage you to do the London and do it.” Sunday Tribune (Ireland). July 31, 2005. Pg. N04; Hind, Purves, Watts. Beam, Ale. “A Harvard Forum For Self-Promotion?” The Boston Globe. November 6, 1998. Pg. D1; Pallister, David. “Libel Award of £20K Bankrupts Cult Watcher”; The Guardian (London). August 3, 1996. Pg. 12.
  12. ^ Articles of Incorporation, May 7, 1991, "Amendment and Restated Articles of Incorporation", Brian Regnier, President.
  13. ^ Limited Liability Company, incorporation, Legal Document, California Secretary of State, February 26, 2003, Agent for Service of Process, Arthur Schreiber, Esq.
  14. ^ Pressman, Steven, Outrageous Betrayal: The dark journey of Werner Erhard from est to exile. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. ISBN 0-312-09296-2, p.254.(out of print)
  15. ^ Landmark Education, website, archived Japan - Rancord Co., Ltd.
  16. ^ Secretary of State of California website, record: Landmark Education LLP Landmark Education registration
  17. ^ Landmark Education, website, archived, controversy, Landmark Education, website
  18. ^ Time Magazine article, Werner Erhard, Time Magazine
  19. ^ Pay Money, Be Happy, New York Magazine, July 9, 2001.
  20. ^ Better Business Bureau, June 19, 2006, report, Landmark Education Corporation, Better Business Bureau
  21. ^ Landmark Education Corporate Website, fact sheet, accessed November 27, 2006
  22. ^ Landmark Education Corporate Website, note: unverified vague and approximate information
  23. ^ Landmark Education website, retrieved 2006-10-25
  24. ^ Revenues, 2004
  25. ^ Landmark education, website, Revenues, 2005
  26. ^ The est of Friends, Metroactive Features, July 15, 1998 issue of Metro, Metro Publishing Inc.
  27. ^ Landmark Education Corporate Website, "Fact Sheet", unverified information.
  28. ^ Outrageous Betrayal, Steven Pressman, pg. 217., St. Martin's Press
    "In July 1984 a company named Transformational Technologies was incorporated in the state of New York. The corporate charter listed a successful management consultant, a small, wiry man named James Selman, as the company's chief executive officer, but the sole owner of the new firm was Werner Erhard. Selman was a longtime est enthusiast, having gone through the training in 1975 while he was a partner at the prominent management consulting firm Touche Ross. He later quit to work for Erhard, and now he was ready to put into place one of Erhard's long-standing objectives - applying the principles of est to the world of big business. Together Erhard and Selman embarked on a plan to sell, at a handsome price, franchises in Transformational Technologies to independent business consultants who then would be licensed to utilize Erhard's est-influenced "technology". Within eighteen months nearly fifty franchises had been sold at a cost of $25,000 apiece. The franchise agreement also required each independedt consultant to pay a portion of his or her revenues to Erhard's company.
  29. ^ Tekniko Administrative Manger, Landmark Education website.
    "The qualified candidate would be accountable for managing all administrative and financial aspects of one of Landmark Education’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Tekniko Licensing Corporation. Working with Landmark Education Business Development, this person acts a liaison and resource for a wide variety of corporations that License Tekniko’s Technology for use in their corporations."
  30. ^ Case Financial Inc · DEFM14A, SEC filings, May 3, 2000. "Mr. Giles is the owner of Tekniko Licensing Corporation, which licenses intellectual properties owned by Tekniko to businesses throughout the world.
  31. ^ Pacific Biometrics, filings, Form SB-2, April 7, 2006. "Mr. Giles currently also serves as Chairman of Giles Enterprises, a private holding company for various business enterprises, as Chairman of the Board of Landmark Education Corporation, a private company providing seminars on personal growth and responsibility, as Chairman of Mission Control Productivity, Inc., a private company, and as the owner of GWE, LLC, a private company specializing in lender financing.
  32. ^ Landmark Education 2020 Charter
  33. ^ Landmark Education For the Media, Landmark Education website
  34. ^ Independent Research, Case Studies, and Surveys
  35. ^ McCarl, Steven R., Zaffron, Steve, Nielsen, Joyce McCarl and Kennedy, Sally Lewis, "The Promise of Philosophy and the Landmark Forum" . Contemporary Philosophy, Vol. XXIII, No. 1 & 2, Jan/Feb & Mar/Apr 2001 or DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.278955 Available at SSRN
  36. ^ Landmark Forum logistics
  37. ^ Corporate Website, Landmark Education, Memberships and accreditations.
  38. ^ Harvard Business School study: Landmark Education Corporation: Selling a Paradigm Shift, Karen Hopper Wruck, Mikelle Fisher Eastley, 1997, case # 9-898-081, page 13., quote, CEO Harry Rosenberg.
  39. ^ Hukill, Tracy (July 9-15, 1998). "The est of friends". metroactive. Retrieved September 20, 2006.
  40. ^ Bhattacharya, Anupama (May 1999). "Master of Fate". Life Positive. Retrieved September 20, 2006.
  41. ^ Landmark Forum course syllabus
  42. ^ [http://web.archive.org/web/20000620123817/www.landmarkeducation.com/overvw/cntrvrsy/default.htm acknowledged Programs and initiatives)
  43. ^ J.D. Fisher, R. C. Silver, J. M. Chinsky, B. Goff and Y. Klar, Evaluating a Large Group Awareness Training: A Longitudinal Study of Psychosocial Effects, Published by Springer-Verlag, October 1990, ISBN 0-387-97320-6.
  44. ^ Charles Wayne Denison, Part 4--The Curriculum of The Forum, "The Children of EST: A study of the Experience and Perceived Effects of a Large Group Awareness Training (The Forum)", Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Denver, 1994, excerpt available online
  45. ^ Landmark Education Corporate Website, excerpted portions, Yankelovich Study. Daniel Yankelovich, DYG, Inc.
  46. ^ Landmark Education Corporate Website, "Independent Research".
  47. ^ Daniel Yankelovich: The Magic of Dialog: Transforming Conflict into Cooperation. New York: Touchstone, 2001. ISBN 0-684-86566-1
  48. ^ Landmark Education, website, Yankelovich Study, excerpted, Landmark Education Corporate Website.
  49. ^ Landmark Education, website, quote, RE: Yankelovich Study, Landmark Education Corporate Website.
  50. ^ The Harris Survey: Money: The Impact of Landmark's Programs on Participants' Income Levels
  51. ^ International Society for Performance Improvement, award to LEBD, award, Landmark Education Business Development
  52. ^ The Talent Foundation website
  53. ^ The Talent Foundation Study: A Shortcut to Motivated and Adaptive Workforces,Full study
  54. ^ Labor Investigation, Colorado, 1994-1996, United States Department of Labor.
  55. ^ The est of Friends, Metroactive Features, July 9-15, 1998
    A case study by Harvard Business School reports that nationwide, 7,500 volunteers lend their time and services to Landmark. The corporation only pays 451 people, and only a tenth of them are Forum leaders. But here at the Forum, we are told, anything is possible. So devotees keep enrolling in courses, keep volunteering to prove their "commitment." I wonder what kind of racket the Department of Labor was running when it investigated Landmark and determined its volunteers were employees subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Who's heard of volunteers for a for-profit? In the end the Department of Labor dropped the issue, leaving Landmark trumpeting about its volunteers' choice in the matter.
  56. ^ Labor Investigation, United States Department of Labor, Texas, February 1, 2003 to June 26, 2006.
  57. ^ Voyage to the Land of the New Gurus, May 24, 2004, France 3, Pieces a Conviction.
    Volunteers working in the headquarters of a commercial company, is it legal? Officers from General Information, in this confidential note about Landmark, were worried about undeclared associates in violation of the Labor Code. The document dates from 1994, so the situation is not new.
  58. ^ "With the gurus wearing neckties: 395 euros for three days", Nouvel Observateur, May 19, 2005, Marie Lemonnier
    Labor inspectors showed up at Landmark offices, noted the exploitation of volunteers, and made a report of undeclared employment. The action accelerated; the vise was tightened.
  59. ^ A short timeline. Template:Fr icon
  60. ^ Louise Samways, Dangerous Persuaders: An expose of gurus, personal development courses and cults, and how they operate, Penguin Books: 1994, page vii; ISBN 0-14-023553-1
  61. ^ Louise Samways, Dangerous Persuaders: An expose of gurus, personal development courses and cults, and how they operate, Penguin Books: 1994; currently out-of-print. ISBN 0-14-023553-1
  62. ^ Heinrich Kuefner, Norbert Nedopil, Heinz Schoech, Robert Doerr, Stefanie Eiden, Raik Werner, "Expert opinion: Effects and risks of unconventional psycho- and social- techniques", Munich, Germany, February 17, 2003.
  63. ^ Landmark Education, Corporate Website, Untersuchung von Heinrich Küfner, Norbert Nedopil und Heinz Schöck
  64. ^ Heinrich Kuefner, Norbert Nedopil, Heinz Schoech, Robert Doerr, Stefanie Eiden, Raik Werner, "Expert opinion: Effects and risks of unconventional psycho- and social- techniques", Munich, Germany, February 17, 2003.
  65. ^ Amelia Hill, for a December 2003 article: "I thought I'd be brainwashed. But how wrong could I be..." in The Observer
  66. ^ "Sekten" - Risiken und Nebenwirkungen: Informationen zu ausgewaehlten neuen religiõsen und weltanschaulichen Bewegungen und Psychoangeboten. Herausgeben von der Senatsverwaltung fũr Schule, Jugend and Sport. Redaktion: Anne Rũhle, Ina Kunst. Stand: Dezember 1997. Retrieved 2006-12-13. Quoted text from the Table of Contents in the original German:
    7 Ausgewählte Anbieter
    ...
    7.4 Anbieter von Lebenshilfe
    kommerziell:
    7.4.1 Bruno Grõning-Freundeskreise
    7.4.2 Kontext Seminar GmbH
    7.4.3 Landmark Education (LE)
    7.4.4 Art Reade
    7.4.5 Scientology
    7.4.6 The Natale Institute (TNI)
    nicht kommerziell:
    7.4.7 Verein zur Fõrderung der psychologischen Menschenkenntniss (VPM)
  67. ^ Circulaire du 27 mai 2005 relative à la lutte contre les dérives sectaires
  68. ^ Landmark Education lägger ned verksamheten, March 21, 2004.
  69. ^ Kalla Faktas Uppfoljning om Landmark Education, 2004, Lofgrens Analys AB.
  70. ^ "Sekten : Wissen schützt. Eine Information des Bundesministeriums für Umwelt, Jugend und Familie, Stubenbastei 5, 1010 Wien, 1996 (Sects : Knowledge protects. Information from the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Youth and the Family, Stubenbastei 5, 1010 Wien, 1996)
  71. ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71367.htm International Religious Freedom Report, Austria 2006
  72. ^ United States Department of State, International Religious Freedom Report 2006, (Austria), released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor,
    Government were small organizations with fewer than 100 members. Among the larger groups was the Church of Scientology, with between 5,000 and 6,000 members, and the Unification Church, with approximately 700 adherents throughout the country. Other groups found in the country included Divine Light Mission, Eckankar, Hare Krishna, the Holosophic community, the Osho movement, Sahaja Yoga, Sai Baba, Sri Chinmoy, Transcendental Meditation, Landmark Education, the Center for Experimental Society Formation, Fiat Lux, Universal Life, and The Family.
  73. ^ Religious Freedom Report 1999, Austria, Section I. Freedom of Religion.
  74. ^ Religious Freedom Report 2000, Austria, Section I. Freedom of Religion.
  75. ^ Religious Freedom Report 2002, Austria, Section I. Freedom of Religion.
  76. ^ Religious Freedom Report 2003, Austria, Section I. Religious Demography.
  77. ^ Religious Freedom Report 2004, Austria, Section I. Religious Demography.
  78. ^ Religious Freedom Report 2005, Austria, Section I. Religious Demography.
  79. ^ "Landmark Forum", The Skeptic's Dictionary, Robert T. Carroll, Published by John Wiley & Sons, August 15, 2003, ISBN 0-471-27242-6.
  80. ^ Apologetics Index, page, Landmark Education
  81. ^ "A Very Nineties Weekend", The Tablet, Annabel Miller, 29/05/1999; (requires free registration to access). "Several Catholic priests and religious sisters have endorsed Landmark. The Trappist monk Basil Pennington has praised the Forum for bringing about a "full human enlivenment" which make people "more lively" in the practice of whatever faith they have.
  82. ^ Jill P. Capuzzo, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1996, The Scoop About the Landmark Forum
  83. ^ Dr. Raymond Fowler, past President of the American Psychological Association, analysis of the Landmark Forum, 1995, Landmark Education Corporate Website, Document number "L-014E". 'I saw nothing in the Landmark Forum I attended to suggest that it would be harmful to any participant. ... the Landmark Forum is nothing like psychotherapy ... has none of the characteristics typical of a cult ...does not place individuals at risk of any form of "mind control" "brainwashing" or "thought control."'
  84. ^ In the grip of the therapy tough-guys: I'm pretending to be a client of the Landmark Forum, but I get the shakes so bad I can't take it, Enzo Di Matteo, NOW Toronto, April, 2000.
    "The "milieu control," use of "loaded language" and "organized peer pressure," former EST disciple Kevin Garvey says, are all part of "a patterned exercise designed and orchestrated to undercut any comprehensible discussion, all behind the facade of being this profound self-exploration." "
  85. ^ Pay Money, Be Happy, For thousands of new yorkers, happiness is a $375, three-day self-help Seminar. Welcome to EST: The Next Generation, New York Magazine, Vanessa Grigoriadis, July 9, 2001.
    Like those organizations, the Forum drives its points home with loaded language, relentless repetition, and a carefully constructed environment. "We controlled even subtle things like the quality of light and the sound that came out of the microphones," says White. "The style of lettering on all the signs had to be exactly the same or it was a really big deal. We covered the mirrors. We put all the chairs in a specific order."
  86. ^ Drive-thru Deliverance: It's not called est anymore, but you can still be ridiculed into self-awareness in just one expensive weekend, Phoenix New Times, October 19, 2000, By Amanda Scioscia
  87. ^ Do you believe in Miracles? : For a few hundred dollars, the Landmark Forum says (and says, and says) it can transform your life in three days. Sound too good to be true? Rosemary Mahoney gave it a shot, Elle Magazine, August 1998, Rosemary Mahoney.
  88. ^ "The Story of Our Lives.", London Times, Vanora Bennett, July 2000.
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