A Study on the Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Training and Transcendental Meditation on Students’ Personality Development

Transcendental Meditation is a unique meditation technique which was introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in the mid of 1950s. This technique, which is a specific form of Mantra Meditation, became very popular in the 1960s and 1970s as many celebrities started practicing it. The benefits of transcendental meditation are to relax, enhance behaviour and develop one’s self. Whereas the Cognitive Behaviour Training deals with the understanding of one’s thoughts and emotions which play an important role in influencing one’s behaviour. It is well proven that CBT helps in training people with psychological issues and brings a dramatic change in the thought process. Hence, this study was carried out to study the impact of TM and CBT in the age group of 17-21 of different localities by purposive sampling method. 40 students were selected for the present study. Personality Development Index (PDI) by Kaliappan and Karthikeyan was used to study the personality of the sample group. After the intervention which involved carrying out CBT and TM practices, the students showed a significant difference in different personality dimensions.