MEDITATION AND COLLEGE-STUDENTS SELF-ACTUALIZATION AND RATED STRESS

This paper concerns the efficacy of meditation and relaxation in promo ting self-actualization and changes in self-reported stress among 62 c ollege students. Two groups were given mantra meditation and a yogic r elaxation technique referred to as Shavasana. Pre- and posttest measur es were taken on the Personal Orientation Inventory and the Behavioral Relaxation Scale. Both groups showed significant increases in scores on self-actualization; however, no diffences were found between groups . Meditation training was associated with larger gains in scores on me asures of systematic relaxed behavior than of the relaxation training.