Outrageous Betrayal - Reception

Reception

St. Martin's Press first published Outrageous Betrayal in 1993, and Random House published a second edition of the text in 1995.

An analysis in Kirkus Reviews, noting the choice of title by the author, asserted that Pressman: "makes no pretense to objectivity here." Kirkus Reviews criticized the book, saying "What the author dramatically fails to provide by bearing down on the negative (to the extent that nearly all his informants denounce est and its founder) is any real understanding of est's teachings--and of why they appealed so deeply to so many." Paul S. Boyer, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, reviewed the book in The Washington Post. Boyer wrote that the book "nicely recounts the bizarre tale" of Werner Erhard, saying "Pressman tells his fascinating story well." However he also commented that the book gives "only the sketchiest historical context" of est and its roots in societal experiences.

The book was reviewed by Library Journal, in which Mark Annichiarico described it as "a compelling account of the 1980s guru who rose from selling used cars to peddling personal transformation". Annichiarico recommended that public libraries place it next to Wendy Kaminer's I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional. A review by Mary Carroll published in the American Library Association's Booklist noted that the controversy surrounding Erhard was not new, but she wrote that "Pressman pulls the details together effectively." Carroll went on to comment: "Outrageous Betrayal is a disturbing but fascinating object lesson in the power of charisma divorced from conscience."

Frances Halpern of the Los Angeles Times called the book a "damning biography". Publishers Weekly also reviewed the work, and briefly described Pressman's assessment of Erhard. The review noted: "Pressman here cuts into him with surgical precision." Steve Jackson of Westword characterized Outrageous Betrayal as "the most damning critique of Erhard", and noted "Pressman details Erhard's past, including allegations of manipulation and tales of egomania."

Psychologist Margaret Singer recommended the book to a client as a reference for jargon used in the Est training. Books on subjects related to psychology, and books on cults and new religious movements, have later referenced Outrageous Betrayal for background on Erhard and the Est training, including Janja Lalich's Bounded Choice, and Irvin Yalom's The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy.

In 1995, Outrageous Betrayal was cited in a report on the United States Department of Transportation by the United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations in a case unrelated to Erhard or Est. This was in reference to a Congressional investigation of Gregory May and controversial trainings given by his company Gregory May Associates (GMA) to the Federal Aviation Administration. The testimony given stated that, according to Outrageous Betrayal, a member of GMA's board had been influenced by Erhard Seminars Training and the Church of Scientology.

Dan Wakefield, in his review of the book in "Tricycle: the Buddhist Review," questioned Pressman's primarily critical description of Erhard's character. Wakefield suggested that one of the reasons the press or "media" paints a negative view is because "nobody in the media bothers to speak to the people who value in his programs." Wakefield refers to a study done by opinion analyst Daniel Yankelovich in which "seven out of ten participants in The Forum found it to be 'one of their life's most rewarding experiences,' while 94 percent felt the program had 'practical' and 'enduring' value." While Pressman describes the est training as "a mish-mash of self-help theories, common-sense psychology, and dime-store ideas of motivation," Wakefield, who had experienced the est training personally states, "If I was "conned" by that "mish-mash" when I did est in 1984, I'm grateful I was conned into losing the addiction to alcohol that had plagued me for a quarter of a century."