Circling Science

Psychological effects of participation in a large group awareness training.

Jeffrey D. Fisher, Roxane Cohen Silver, Jack M. Chinsky, Barry Goff, Yechiel Klar and Cyndi Zagieboylo · 1989

Evidence
Controlled study
Kind
Journal article
peer-reviewed
Method
Non-randomised comparison of Forum participants and nominated peers, with follow-up about 18 months later
Sample
135 Forum attendees: 83 assessed before and after, 52 assigned post-test only; 73 comparison participants
Published
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(6), 747–755
Practices
Large group awareness training

Adjacent

Studies a related practice or mechanism, without testing Circling.

A non-randomised study of the Forum found a short-term gain in perceived control, but its main outcome models found no lasting effects.

What it doesn’t show

Attendees chose the training and nominated comparison participants; outcomes were questionnaire ratings. Pre-testing was deliberately omitted for one attendee subgroup. Some isolated differences appeared in supplementary analyses. The main models’ null findings do not rule out uncommon harms. Werner Erhard and Associates funded the work under an agreement granting research independence.

Summary based on the abstract and the author-hosted manuscript’s methods, discussion and funding statement.

Directions that build on it

  1. Safety, facilitation and harm

    Builds on 14 works · 3 funding routes

    What makes a circle safe, and what goes wrong when it isn’t?

Links

Cite

Fisher, J. D., Silver, R. C., Chinsky, J. M., Goff, B., Klar, Y., & Zagieboylo, C. (1989). Psychological effects of participation in a large group awareness training. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(6), 747–755. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.57.6.747