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A Relationship Between Self-Actualization And The Practice Of Zen Meditation, William Charles Compton

Student Work

A review of the Iiterature on the psychological variables which have been associated with Zen meditation revealed a close correspondence between the stated goals of Zen meditation and the personality characteristics of the self-actualized individual hypothesized by Maslow. A review of the experimental literature on the relationship between Zen meditation and self-actualization showed contradictory findings concerning the effectiveness of Zen meditation for enhancing self-actualization. However, Kirschner’s results indicated that a nine month learning period may exist for Zen meditation. It was therefore hypothesized that Zen meditation would not effect self-actualization scores until after this learning period was completed. The Personal …