An Investigation of the effectiveness of meditation tecniques and progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety and locus of control

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to Investigate the effectiveness of different meditation techniques and Progressive Muscle Relaxation on anxiety and locus of control. 90 subjects participated to the study. 45 were male, 45 female. 37 of them were university students, 53 of them were non-university student. To assess the level and the type of anxiety and locus of control, FSAQ, STAI and i-E Control scales were used. Four- treatments were applied to subjects: Transcendental Meditation, Control Meditation with m, n, ng sounds, Control Meditation with random sounds and Progressive Muscle Relaxation, A non-practice Control group was the fifth condition. The scales were administered three times: Before the initiation, at the end of the training course and after four weeks of practice of the technique. Transcendental Meditation was found to be the most effective technique. University student subjects of the Transcendental Meditation group reduced their scores of Cognitive, Behavioral, Affective anxiety components of FSAQ, State anxiety and Internal -External Control in significant level whereas they could not reduce the scores of Somatic anxiety component of FSAÛ and Trait anxiety in significant level from the first to the third measurement.Non-university student subjects of Transcendental Meditation group obtained significant decreases in all the scales across the three measurements. None of the other.treatments could decrease the scores of the scales In significant level. The between-groups comparison of the decreases of the scores revealed significant differences between TM and the other treatments In majority of the measures.