Zen Mxditation and Behavioral Self-control: Some Similarities and Differences

An attempt is made to 11;erstand the behaviors involved in two different self-control strategies: Zen meditation and behavioral self-management. The first technique is derived from the Eastern "religious-Philosophical"-tradition of Zen Buddhism; the other technique is derived from laboratory and field studies in Western settings. Using to s of naturalistic observation -and experimental analysis, Zen editation is conceptealized as a sequence of behaviors involving certain cues and consequences, and thereby being under explicit contingency arrangements. The same tools of experimental analysis.are then applied to the behavioral self-management techniques, and a series of comparisons and contrasts are made between the two After briefly reviewing the clinical outcome literature for both strategies, the paper concludes with a discussion of the-reabilitative and preventive benefits which may be gained from a combinatidn of the two techniques. (Author) *******************************y********************41**************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC Makes every effort * * to obtain the best copy available. nevertheless, itee)s of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original. *********************v************************************************* ZEN MXDITATION AND BEHAVIORAL SELF-CONTROL: SOME SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES Deane H. Shapiro, Jr. Psychological Studies Institute Palo Alto, California U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION P. WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DIKED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OP ORGANIZATION ORIGIN ACING IT POINTS OF VIEWOR OPINIONS STATED CO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT ocr ICAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Reprints may be obtained from D. H. Shapiro, Jr., Ph.D., P. 0. Box 2084, Staufoid, California 94035 ABSTRACT An attempt is made to understand the behaviors involved in two different self-control strategies: Zen meditation and behavioral self-management. The first technique is derived from the Eastern "religious-philosophical" tradition of Zen Buddhism; the other technique is derived from laboratory and field studies in Western settings. Using tools of natu;alistic observation and experimental analysis, Zen meditation is conceptualized as a sequence of behaviors involving certain cues and consequences, and thereby being under explicit contingency arrangements. The same tools of experimental analysis are then applied to the behavioral self-management techniques, and a series of comparisons and contrasts are made between the two. After briefly reviewing the clinical outcome literature for both strategies, the paper concludes with a discussion of the rehabilitative and preventive benefits which may be gained from a combination of the two techniques.An attempt is made to understand the behaviors involved in two different self-control strategies: Zen meditation and behavioral self-management. The first technique is derived from the Eastern "religious-philosophical" tradition of Zen Buddhism; the other technique is derived from laboratory and field studies in Western settings. Using tools of natu;alistic observation and experimental analysis, Zen meditation is conceptualized as a sequence of behaviors involving certain cues and consequences, and thereby being under explicit contingency arrangements. The same tools of experimental analysis are then applied to the behavioral self-management techniques, and a series of comparisons and contrasts are made between the two. After briefly reviewing the clinical outcome literature for both strategies, the paper concludes with a discussion of the rehabilitative and preventive benefits which may be gained from a combination of the two techniques. Based on current biofeedback, meditation, and self-control research, a new paradigm of man is emerging within the scientific community. This paradigm conceptualizes the healthy person as an individual who can pilot his own existential fate in the here and now environment, and who can have far greater self-regulatory control over his own body than heretofore imagined. Concomitant with this new paradigm is an attempt to develop and improve techniques by which man can self-observe his behavior, change it (if desired), and then continually modify and monitor it according to his needs. The goal of this paper is to explore self-control techniques developed within the Eastern "religion" of Zen Buddhism and the Western psychological framework of social learnIng theory. Because of seemingly different epistomological and cultural frameworks, it might at first appear an impossible task to bridge this gap between an Eastern religious technique, such as Zen meditation, and Western therapeutic strategies, such as self-management skills. There is certainly no doubt that differences both in origin and goals do exist. For example, formal Zen breath meditation (Zazen) is a single technique which was developed thousands of years ago as a method of attaining religious insight (cf. Lesh, 1970; Weinpahl, 1964; Maupin, 1969). Behavioral selfmanagement techniques, on the other hand, involve a constellation of strategies tailored to specific problem areas, and are the product of recent empirical investigations derived from experimental research in Western laboratories and field settings (cf. Thoresen and Mahoney, 1974; Goldfried and Merbaum, 1973; Mahoney and Thoresen, 1974). In addition, Zen meditation is a technique within a philosophical-religious framework which has a view of man different from the