USE OF THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION PROGRAM AS A THERAPY WITH JUVENILE OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 59173
• Author(s): J P CHILDS
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: FROM SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH ON THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION PROGRAM - COLLECTED PAPERS - VOL 1, PAPER 90

Annotation

THIS STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE IF A TRANSCENTAL MEDITATION (TM) PROGRAM CAN BE USED AS SUCCESSFUL THERAPY FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS.

Abstract

TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF TM ON FIVE JUVENILE OFFENDERS, A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN (PRETEST AND POSTTEST STAGGERED OVER THREE GROUPS) WAS USED. HYPOTHESES POSTULATED THAT TM WOULD CHANGE THE JUVENILE OFFENDER'S PERSONALITY IN THE DIRECTION OF GREATER SELF-ACTUALIZATION--HIS ANXIETY LEVEL WOULD DECREASE, HE WOULD EXPERIENCE HAPPINESS AS A MORE CONTINUOUS STATE, HIS INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS WOULD IMPROVE, HIS DEPENDENCY ON DRUGS WOULD DECREASE, AND HIS VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW WOULD DECREASE OR CEASE ENTIRELY. THESE HYPOTHESES WERE USED AS THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES IN THE STUDY, WHILE TM WAS THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE. THE SUBJECTS WERE TESTED BEFORE AND 2 MONTHS AFTER THEY BEGAN THE TM PROGRAM. THE PERSONAL ORIENTATION INVENTORY, DEVELOPED BY SHOSTROM, THE TAYLOR MANIFEST ANXIETY SCALE, SELF- AND PARENT-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES, AND COURT REPORTS WERE THE MEAUSRES USED. A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN ANXIETY WAS FOUND ON THE TAYLOR MANIFEST ANXIETY SCALE. THE QUESTIONNAIRES ALSO REFLECTED SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CHANGES FOR BOTH SUBJECTS' AND PARENTS' REPORTS. DRUG USAGE CEASED OR, FOR ONE SUBJECT, DECREASED. THE COURT REPORT WAS UNIFORMLY FAVORABLE AT THE END OF 2 MONTHS OF TREATMENT. THE TM GROUP DEMONSTRATED A TREND TOWARD INCREASED SELF-ACTUALIZATION BY ITS IMPROVEMENT ON SIX SCALES OF THE PERSONAL ORIENTATION INVENTORY, ONE OF WHICH (SELF-REGARD) REACHED SIGNIFICANCE DESPITE THE SMALL NUMBER OF SUBJECTS. SUFFICIENT PROGRESS WAS MADE, AS REFLECTED BY RESULTS ON THE VARIOUS MEASURES USED, TO WARRANT RECOMMENDING USE OF THE TM PROGRAM TO THOSE WHO COUNSEL JUVENILE OFFENDERS. THE STUDY CLEARLY TESTIFIED TO THE WILLINGNESS AND ABILITY OF JUVENILES TO MEDITATE REGULARLY. FURTHER RESEARCH USING A LARGER NUMBER OF SUBJECTS OVER A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME IS RECOMMENDED. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--MJW)