Meditation and college students' self-actualization and rated stress.
Psychological Reports October 1, 1994 DOI: 10.2466/pr0.1994.75.2.1007 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractCollege students who practiced either mantra meditation or a yogic relaxation technique (Shavasana) both showed significant increases in self-actualization, with no difference between the two groups. Meditation training led to larger gains in systematic relaxed behavior than the relaxation training did. The study involved 62 college students and measured changes using the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Behavioral Relaxation Scale before and after the training.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 62 |
| Population | College students |
| Intervention | Mantra meditation |
| Key finding | Both mantra meditation and yogic relaxation increased self-actualization similarly, but meditation produced larger gains in relaxed behavior. |
Abstract
This paper concerns the efficacy of meditation and relaxation in promoting self-actualization and changes in self-reported stress among 62 college students. Two groups were given mantra meditation and a yogic relaxation technique referred to as Shavasana. Pre- and posttest measures were taken on the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Behavioral Relaxation Scale. Both groups showed significant increases in scores on self-actualization; however, no differences were found between groups. Meditation training was associated with larger gains in scores on measures of systematic relaxed behavior than of the relaxation training.