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A Review of Mindfulness Meditation and Its Effects on Adolescents Aggression

A Review of Mindfulness Meditation and Its Effects on Adolescents Aggression

Ram Kumar Gupta, 2Shailendra Singh, 3Swadesh Bhatt, and 4Shubhangi Gupta

1. Ph.D. Scholar, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India

2. Associate Professor, Govt. G. D. Girls P.G. College, Alwar, India
3. Ph.D. Scholar, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, India
4. Ph.D. Scholar, Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, India

Address for Correspondence: Ram Kumar Gupta, Research Scholar, University of Rajasthan,
Jaipur, India. Email: ram.pyp@gmail.com

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Summary:
Meditation is an interactive process among mind, body and behaviour, in which emotional,
mental, social, spiritual and behavioural factors can directly be affected. Guided mindfulness
meditation is a powerful technique for facilitating healing and growth toward autonomy by
helping adolescents connect to their inner voice. This technique may be especially useful in the
adolescent search for self-awareness, meaning, and life purpose. The main goal of mindfulness
meditation is the development of an observant self that learns about ones actions, thoughts, and
feelings from a nonjudgmental perspective. It consist four stages: (1) physical relaxation, (2)
independent mindfulness meditation, (3) guided meditation calling on inner voice, and (4)
connecting with inner voice. Mindfulness meditation has proven effective in reducing
psychological stress, negativity, anger and aggression; it is a tool for awakening and developing
ones conscious and thereby modifying one's thoughts. This review examines the significance of
guided mindfulness meditation in mediating aggression, both external and internal aggressive
behavior, and youth suicide.

Key Words: Aggression, Mindfullness meditation, Adolescent

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INTRODUCTION
Rapid population growth, unavailability of housing and support services, poverty,
unemployment, and underemployment among youth, the decline in the authority of local
communities, overcrowding in poor urban areas, family disintegration, and ineffective
educational systems besides bombardment of information both relevant and irrelevant, ethical
and unethical on the young minds makes it difficult for them to handle it effectively (World
Youth Report, 2003). The global scientific and technological progress is evidence of increased
human intelligence and creativity, emotional hypersensitivity and aggression (Nagendra &
Nagarathna, 1997). When one person hurts or tries to injure another person deliberately, either
verbally or physically such behavior is termed as aggression. Aggression can manifest itself in
various forms i.e. direct aggression, indirect aggression, relational aggression, instrumental
aggression, reputational aggression, external aggression, and internal aggression or it can be in
the form of vengeance, representing a basic distortion in personality formation. This distortion in
personality produces delinquents and ultimately adult criminals. Aggressive responses are
controlled by amygdala and limbic system of the brain (Adams, 1968). Aggressive behaviour is
associated with testosterone (Archer, 1991), low level of serotonin (Alexander et al., 1986),
alcohol (Bushman, 1997), learning, social learning (Bandura, 1961), frustration (Miller et al.,
1941) and finally Freud viewed aggression as resulting from thantos i.e., the basic instinct,
leading to the individual and to restore things to their pristine stage. In other studies aggressive
adolescents often deal with the level of influence various social systems such as family, friends,
and school have on their behavior (Laufer, 2003), low self-concept (developed in relation to
others), low self-awareness (Vermeiren, 2004) and suicide (Cairns, 1988).

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MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
Mindfulness is the awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance by a clear, calm mind of ones
moment-to-moment experience, without either pursuing the experience or pushing it away
(Brahmavamso, 2003). In mindfulness, participants are instructed to focus attention on the target
of observation (e.g., breathing or walking) and to be aware of it in each moment. Emotions,
sensations, or cognitions are observed carefully but are not evaluated as good or bad, true or
false, healthy or sick, or important or trivial (Marlatt & Kristeller, 1999). Thus, mindfulness is
the nonjudgmental observation of the ongoing stream of internal and external stimuli as they
arise. Meditation is an interactive process among mind, body and behaviour, in which emotional,
mental, social, spiritual and behavioural factors can directly be affected. Most kinds of
meditations are geared towards achieving inner peace, self-reflection, or self-relaxation through
the quieting of the mind, but there is more to meditation than just closing ones eyes. Since the
nature of the mind is to wander here and there, this practice allows one to understand correctly
the nature of the psychophysical occurrences taking place in ones body. Constant awareness of
those psychophysical processes helps develop the self into an observer that can access a deeper
level of consciousness (Brahmavamso, 2003). Mindfulness meditation has proven effective in
reducing psychological stress and preventing relapse in depressed patients (Marlatt & Kriseller,
1999), increasing empathetic capability, decreasing tendencies to take on others negative
emotions, improving coping skills (Bedow & Murphy, 2004), trait anger and state anger (Del
Vecchio & OLeary, 2004). Four stages of mindfulness meditation are: (1) physical relaxation,
(2) independent mindfulness meditation, (3) guided meditation calling on inner voice, and (4)
connecting with inner voice. In the stage three, the therapist uses guided imagery in order to
facilitate an encounter between the meditator and his or her perceived image of inner

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voice/guidance. In the fourth stage, the meditator remains attuned to any sensory, verbal, or
imaginative insights.

REVIEW ON MINDFULNESS MEDITATION AND AGGRESSION

Some reviews on aggression and mindfulness meditation are described belowThree individuals were taught the procedure for controlling their anger and aggressive
behavior by a young man with intellectual disabilities (ID) and mental illness, who had
previously been taught to successfully manage his aggressive behavior by using Meditation on
the Soles of the Feet (Singh et al., 2011). In this meditation technique they were asked to shift
their attention and awareness from the precursors of aggression to the soles of their feet, a neutral
point on their body. After five months of initiating training three individuals were reported very
low levels of anger and aggressive behavior according to self report and staff reports, this
situation was continued for the two years during which informal data were collected.
In another study (Singh et al., 2008), effects of mindfulness-based meditation were
evaluated as a cognitive-behavioral intervention for physical aggression in 6 offenders with mild
intellectual disabilities. Results showed that this procedure may be a clinically effective and costeffective method of enabling adult offenders with intellectual disabilities to control their
aggression.
In a multiple-baseline across-participants design, verbal and physical aggression for three
participants was recorded (Singh et al., 2007) as another study. Meditation on the Soles of the
Feet, for mindfulness was introduced as an intrevention for twice a day and to use it whenever an
incident occurred that would evoke his aggressive behavior. Intervention was terminated when a

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participant and his treatment team agreed that he had achieved control over his aggressive
behaviour. Follow-up data was collected for a month every year for four years. Verbal and
physical aggression decreased as training in mindfulness proceeded. Further, the change was
faster for physical aggression than for verbal aggression. Yearly follow-up over a period of four
years showed that physical aggression was maintained at zero and verbal aggression was
minimal.
In a case history, participant participated voluntarily in an experiential four-session group
mindfulness meditation workshop (Birnbaum, 2005). In a private discussion, she described a
conflictual and complex relationship with her mother. At the beginning of each meditation
session, participant was encouraged to pay careful attention to all experiences associated with her
inner voice (guidance) while meditating and then report to the facilitator whether new insights
surfaced about the self. In addition, she was asked to write her mother a daily letter in her journal
expressing her real thoughts and feelings. Five weeks later her feelings were changed to her
mother.
In another case study (Traffert, 2003), 27 years old patient was introduced a meditation
technique called Soles of the feet. This involved recognizing and role playing anger triggers,
and responding to these triggers by (i) assuming a natural and non-aggressive posture, (ii)
breathing naturally while allowing angry emotions to flow without trying to stop or respond to
them, (iii) shifting attention to the soles of the feet (iv) continuing to focus on the soles of his
feet until the anger passed and (v) smiling and walking away. The researchers conducted a five
month baseline analysis, followed by 12 months of treatment and a 12 month follow-up period.
They report that there were major decrements during the treatment phase in the number of
incidents, physical and verbal aggression, PRN medication, physical restraints.

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In a random designed study (Deshpande et al., 2008), 226 subjects with age range
between 17 and 62 years were divided into two different groups. The Yoga (Y) group practiced
an integrated yoga module that included asanas, pranayama, meditation, notional correction,
and devotional sessions. The control group practiced mild to moderate physical exercises (PE).
Both groups had practices for one hour daily, six days a week for eight weeks. Verbal
Aggressiveness was assessed before and after eight weeks using the self-administered Verbal
Aggressive Scale. There was a significant decrease in verbal aggressiveness in the yoga group
(P = 0.01 paired samples t-test) with a non significant increase in the PE group.

DISCUSSION
Aggressive adolescents often deal with the level of influence various social systems such as
family, friends, and school have on their behavior (Laufer, 2003), low self-concept (developed in
relation to others), low self-awareness (Vermeiren, 2004) and suicide (Cairns, 1988).
Meditation and mindfulness interventions were identified as an effective second-line approach
for emotional, attentional, and behavioral (e.g., aggression) disturbances (Cloitre, 2011).
Consistent practice of meditation with sensitive professional guidance may enhance the sense of
a distinct self and awareness of its wishes, goals, needs, sense of self control and wholeness.
This state may provide the necessary potential for positive change (Shyam, 1994). Meditation
can produce increases in relative left-sided anterior activation that are associated with reductions
in anxiety and negative affect and increases in positive affect (Davidson et al., 2003). Guided
mindfulness meditation is a powerful technique for facilitating healing and growth toward
autonomy by helping adolescents connect to their inner voice. This technique may be especially
useful in the adolescent search for self-awareness, meaning and life purpose. The main goal of

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mindfulness meditation is the development of an observant self that learns about ones actions,
thoughts, and feelings from a nonjudgmental perspective (Birnbaum, 2005). Individuals, who
display aggressive behavior must acknowledge that anger and aggression are aspects of their
behavioral repertoire that limit their recovery and they must engage in treatment. Individuals
needs to make a commitment to practice it in a disciplined manner until it becomes automatic, so
that it can be utilized consistently in high arousal situations that may lead to aggression. The
individual acquires control over his or her life by choosing to learn the mindfulness technique, to
consistently practice it, and to apply it to daily life (Singh et al., 2007). Since the main
advantages of mindfulness training include reduction in in a variety of problematic conditions,
including chronic pain, stress, anxiety, depressive relapse,and disordered eating (Baer, 2003),
improved focusing skills, self-awareness, emotion regulation and brain and immune function
(Davidson et al., 2003). Mindfulness technique can be used to self-regulate ones behavior in
highly negative arousal situations (Singh et al., 2007). It is also the kind of technique that can be
taught and practiced in a group setting and therefore integrated into various support or therapy
groups. Researchers and clinicians should be encouraged to explore the possible application of
this self-developing process in challenging life situations. Teaching young people mindfulness
meditation provides them with an effective life skill, which in time can turn into a major
resource. Most of the research done in the area of mindfulness has examined its usefulness
among adults. Very little has been written about the use of this technique with adolescents. The
current limited research in this domain restricts our ability to understand comprehensive variety
of multidimensional human experience. Further qualitative and quantitative research is needed in
order to assess the relationship suggested by the literature, between level of differentiation, self,
mindfulness meditation and adolescent aggression.

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