Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 2 No. 1 1985, Page 111
personal and the public, revealing how the history of the common person is made.
The attraction of charismatic leaders and totalitarian groups for today‘s youth and its
implications for the future of democracy in postindustrial society are discussed.
Delgado, R. (1984). When religious exercise is not free -deprogramming and the
constitutional status of coercively induced belief. Vanderbilt Law Review, 37, 1071-
1115.
Delmonte, M. M. (Jun. 9, 1984). Physiological responses during meditation and rest.
Biofeedback -Self-Regulation, 181-200. Forty nonmeditators and 12 experienced
transcendental meditators were randomly assigned to four experimental cells devised
to control for order and expectation effects. All 52 (female) subjects were
continuously monitored on seven physiological measures during both meditation and
rest. Each subject was her own control in a lab experimental paradigm comparing
meditation to rest. Analyses of variance on change scores calculated from both intital
and running (intertrial) baselines revealed small but significant conditions effects for
all variables except diastolic BP. The same subjects (both experienced meditators
and those meditating for the first time) showed lower psychophysiological arousal
during the meditation than during the rest condition for systolic or, 11K, SCL, digital
BV, digital ST, and frontalis EMG. The experienced meditators showed only
marginally more conditions effects than the novices practicing ―noncultic‖ meditation.
For the nonmeditators, deliberately fostering positive expectations of meditation was
associated with lower physiological activation than eyes-closed rest. The meditators,
however, tended to become more relaxed over meditation trials, whereas the
nonmeditators showed the opposite trend.
Demos, G. D., &O‘Neill, W. F. (1984). Groupthink: The study-group in thought reform. Et
Cetera, 41, 187-205. Discusses the study-group procedure of thought reform, most
fully developed by the Chinese communists. Notes that ideological changes may be
brought about through the group-study method when applied to an individual who is
under sufficient stress and significantly disoriented. Study groups encourage and
direct self-criticism and serve as basis for other types of ideological re-education and
resocialization. Study groups are essentially psychoanalytic in function, encouraging
self-examination and using group therapy techniques to promote ideological
conversion. Four types of Chinese group meetings are described. Other topics include
the evolution of social identity, factors affecting group effectiveness, and coercive
cooperation.
Dendinger, V. K. (Dec. 1984). Religious mystical experience: A comparison of frequency of
occurrence among intuitive feelers and non-intuitive feelers. Dissertation Abstracts
international, 45, 1900.
Dillbeck, M. C. (Dec. 1983). Testing the Vedic psychology of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Psychologica: An International Journal of Psychology in the Orient, 232-240.
Discusses the empirical testability of the Vedic psychological theory, found in the
Bhagavad-Gita, which holds that suffering results from lack of a stable source of
fulfillment and consequent attachment to diverse, variable sources of reinforcement
and fulfillment. A ―Self‖ beyond thought, gained as awareness, comes to a state of
inner silence and contentment, and becomes a background for all other experience.
The article suggests that research on a meditation practice consistent with
descriptions in the Bhagavad-Gita may be used to asses the theory‘s testability.
Reviews research on Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the TM-sidhi program as
evidence relating to the following predictions of this theory: the experience of
transcending, the growth of qualities of enlightenment, and field properties of
personal and the public, revealing how the history of the common person is made.
The attraction of charismatic leaders and totalitarian groups for today‘s youth and its
implications for the future of democracy in postindustrial society are discussed.
Delgado, R. (1984). When religious exercise is not free -deprogramming and the
constitutional status of coercively induced belief. Vanderbilt Law Review, 37, 1071-
1115.
Delmonte, M. M. (Jun. 9, 1984). Physiological responses during meditation and rest.
Biofeedback -Self-Regulation, 181-200. Forty nonmeditators and 12 experienced
transcendental meditators were randomly assigned to four experimental cells devised
to control for order and expectation effects. All 52 (female) subjects were
continuously monitored on seven physiological measures during both meditation and
rest. Each subject was her own control in a lab experimental paradigm comparing
meditation to rest. Analyses of variance on change scores calculated from both intital
and running (intertrial) baselines revealed small but significant conditions effects for
all variables except diastolic BP. The same subjects (both experienced meditators
and those meditating for the first time) showed lower psychophysiological arousal
during the meditation than during the rest condition for systolic or, 11K, SCL, digital
BV, digital ST, and frontalis EMG. The experienced meditators showed only
marginally more conditions effects than the novices practicing ―noncultic‖ meditation.
For the nonmeditators, deliberately fostering positive expectations of meditation was
associated with lower physiological activation than eyes-closed rest. The meditators,
however, tended to become more relaxed over meditation trials, whereas the
nonmeditators showed the opposite trend.
Demos, G. D., &O‘Neill, W. F. (1984). Groupthink: The study-group in thought reform. Et
Cetera, 41, 187-205. Discusses the study-group procedure of thought reform, most
fully developed by the Chinese communists. Notes that ideological changes may be
brought about through the group-study method when applied to an individual who is
under sufficient stress and significantly disoriented. Study groups encourage and
direct self-criticism and serve as basis for other types of ideological re-education and
resocialization. Study groups are essentially psychoanalytic in function, encouraging
self-examination and using group therapy techniques to promote ideological
conversion. Four types of Chinese group meetings are described. Other topics include
the evolution of social identity, factors affecting group effectiveness, and coercive
cooperation.
Dendinger, V. K. (Dec. 1984). Religious mystical experience: A comparison of frequency of
occurrence among intuitive feelers and non-intuitive feelers. Dissertation Abstracts
international, 45, 1900.
Dillbeck, M. C. (Dec. 1983). Testing the Vedic psychology of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Psychologica: An International Journal of Psychology in the Orient, 232-240.
Discusses the empirical testability of the Vedic psychological theory, found in the
Bhagavad-Gita, which holds that suffering results from lack of a stable source of
fulfillment and consequent attachment to diverse, variable sources of reinforcement
and fulfillment. A ―Self‖ beyond thought, gained as awareness, comes to a state of
inner silence and contentment, and becomes a background for all other experience.
The article suggests that research on a meditation practice consistent with
descriptions in the Bhagavad-Gita may be used to asses the theory‘s testability.
Reviews research on Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the TM-sidhi program as
evidence relating to the following predictions of this theory: the experience of
transcending, the growth of qualities of enlightenment, and field properties of
