Transcendental Meditation and Psychological Health
Perceptual and Motor Skills October 1, 1974 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1974.39.1.623 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Experienced and novice transcendental meditators |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 81 |
| Key findings | Experienced meditators were significantly less anxious, more internally controlled, and more self-actualized than novice meditators. |
Abstract
15 experienced transcendental meditators and 21 novice meditators were administered Bendig's anxiety scale, Rotter's Locus of Control scale, and Shostrom's Personal Orientation Inventory of self-actualization. As predicted, experienced meditators were significantly less anxious and more internally controlled than beginning meditators. Likewise, experienced meditators were significantly higher, i.e., more self-actualized, on 7 of Shostrom's 12 subscales. These impressive results are discussed in terms of the psychological health implications of Transcendental Meditation and its potential therapeutic applications.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 28
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- The Physiology of Meditation and Mystical States of Consciousness Perspectives in biology and medicine March 1, 1976
- Meditation as psychotherapy: A review of the literature. Psychological Bulletin 1975
- Muscle Biofeedback and Transcendental Meditation Archives of General Psychiatry 1980
- Effectiveness of the Transcendental Meditation Program in Preventing and Treating Substance Misuse: A Review International Journal of the Addictions 1991
and 23 more in the library