A Questionnaire to Study

Alternative Health Practitioner, Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 1999
A
Questionnaire to Study
Maharishi Ayur- Veda
Theresa M. Olson, PhD, and
John W. Sorflaten, PhD
Research into the effectiveness of treatment modalities of the traditional medical system
of Ayur-Veda can be aided by access to a self-report questionnaire based on the dosha or
"temperament" theory of Ayur-Veda
. Fifteen adjective pairs were selected to create
bipolar Likert-type scales that purport to capture psychophysiological "state" as determined by the subject’s self-report. A sample of 931 varied subjects completed the selfreport questionnaire at least twice, with an intervening musical experience. Cronbach’s
alpha coefficient indicated only one adjectival pair failed the test of internal consistency.
It was removed from further analysis. Factor analysis showed that the hypothesized
grouping of adjectives matched the three temperaments or doshas of Ayur-Veda theory
brough out by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This included a test-retest comparison of the
factor loadings, as well as comparisons of two diverse subject subpopulations. Historical
trends in temperament theory are covered to aid understanding of the construct validity
of the questionnaire.
is recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective system of
traditional health care and is widely used in India (Bannerman et al., 1988, Sharma, 1993).
A leading Vedic scholar and a contemporary exponent of Ayur-Veda, Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi has identified and systematized 40 aspects associated with this system which together
constitute a &dquo;complete science of health&dquo; (Glazer, 1988). This restoration of Ayur-Vedic
approaches meets authentication criteria contained in the classic Vedic texts and is known as
the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Healths’. (Hereinafter this approach will be referred to as
Maharishi Ayur-VedasM.)
In addition to diagnosis and treatment of overt health problems, a major component of
Maharishi Ayur-Veda includes preventative medicine and personal development practices
such as the well-known Transcendental Meditation® (TMO) techniques. Over 650 research
studies from 212 universities and research organizations have reported on the usefulness of
components of Maharishi Ayur-Veda. Over 250 studies found placement in peer-reviewed
journals (Sharma & Alexander, 1996a, 1996b). Funding for some of this research has come
from the National Institute of Aging; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, as well
as the U.S. Department of Health’s Office of Alternative Medicine.
The current research aimed at developing a self-report questionnaire to allow
measurement of psychophysiological changes during treatment by many of the 40
aspects of Maharishi Ayur-Veda. The questionnaire uses conceptual constructs of dosha
typology that support the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of Maharishi Ayur-Veda.
Ayur-Veda
@ 1999
Springer Publishing Company
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
163
164
The questionnaire augments the definition of various psychophysiological states called
vrikriti that represent a departure from ideal mental and physical health. These states are
otherwise established by traditional Ayur- Vedic pulse diagnosis, or nadi vigyan.
Pulse diagnosis typically requires a well-trained Ayurvedic physician or vaidya. A
successfully validated questionnaire would permit objective, quantifiable verification of
the pulse diagnosis, or could allow independent classification of a subjects’ state. However,
in sophisticated inquiries or research protocols, it would not completely replace pulse
diagnosis.
Ayur-Veda, an individual’s health is determined by the functioning of three
psychophysiological traits, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, known as the three doshas. These will be
defined below. The pulse diagnostician first determines an individual’s typology, then within
that typology, characterizes the problem or &dquo;imbalance&dquo; associated with one or more of the
doshas. Good mental and physical health consists of the three doshas (and subdoshas)
functioning optimally within the individual. This optimum balance differs per person and is
called the individual’s prakriti.
According to Sharma and Clark (1998) each of the three doshas have specific physiological, cognitive and psychological characteristics. Those individuals with Vata dosha predominating tend to be thin, small framed, may have curly or kinky hair, smaller eyes and joints
that tend to crack noisily. Generally, these persons tend to be overactive and often overdo,
resulting in exhaustion or fatigue. Vata types are light sleepers, waking easily. Cognitively,
Vata types have very alert, quick, and active minds. They are quick to learn and quick to
forget. Psychologically, Vatas tend to move, think and speak quickly. If Vata dosha is out of
balance, these individuals tend to worry, be anxious, overly sensitive and blame themselves.
They have difficulty making decisions.
Individuals with physically predominant Pitta dosha have moderate height and body
frames. Pittas generally have fair or reddish complexions with thin, silky hair which is often
red, blond, or light brown in color. Pittas generally have strong appetites and strong digestion.
Delayed meals can make Pitta types irritable. Sleep for Pitta types is sound and of medium
length. Pittas are also warm by nature and therefore may be adverse to hot weather. They
prefer cold food and drinks. Cognitively, Pittas have sharp penetrating intellects with
methodical and well-organized minds. Psychologically, individuals with balanced Pitta
dosha can be bold, focused, energetic, and chivalrous. When Pitta dosha is out of balance,
these individuals may be short-tempered, impatient, critical, and speak harshly of others.
Individuals with Kapha dosha predominant physiologically tend to be welldeveloped and rounded, with broad chests and good musculature. Kaphas gain weight easily.
Their skin is usually soft, lustrous, oily; their complexion light or fair; their hair dark, thick,
soft, and wavy. Digestion tends to be slow. Kaphas can easily miss meals without feeling any
aggravation. Kaphas have excellent physical stamina but need more sleep than the other
dosha types. Their sleep is heavy and deep. Kaphas dislike cool, damp weather. Cognitively,
Kaphas are slow to learn and slow to forget. Psychologically, Kapha dosha-types tend to be
tranquil and steady. Kaphas do not worry or get angry easily. Balanced Kapha dosha-type
individuals are agreeable, forgiving, affectionate, generous, and emotionally stable. Out-ofbalance Kapha type individuals can be lethargic, overly attached to the status quo, and lacking
Within
in motivation.
Research has attempted to correlate prakriti with familiar western variables. For example,
high Pitta subjects have scored significantly higher on Type A behavior in the Jenkins
Activity Survey, while high Kapha subjects scored significantly higher on Type B behavior
(Schneider, Wallace, Kasture, Averbach, & Robinson, 1985). Neurotransmitters appear to
discriminate between the main prakritis. A Pitta group had greater levels of acetylcholine,
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
165
while
a Vata group showed greater levels of catecholamines, and a Kapha group displayed
greater levels of histamine (Singh, Singh, & Udupa, 1980). The authors suggest that these
patterns were consistent with current understanding of the roles assigned to the different
neurotransmitters.
Mood difficulties and ill health consist of aggravations in the physical systems that
interfere with the balanced functioning of the predominant dosha of the patient. Dosha
imbalance occurs from diet impurities, lifestyle abuses, stress, etc. interacting with the
prakriti resulting in one’s vrikriti, or current state. Often, the diagnostician finds the vrikriti
masks the prakriti (Sharma & Clark, 1998). Over time, treatment uncovers the more
fundamental characteristics, or prakriti, of the individual. The questionnaire studied here
measures the current states of the individual’s mood. Shifts over time indicate improvement
or deterioration of mood. Based on the content of the questionnaire, measured improvements
purportedly reflect psychophysiological shifts of the doshas toward the subject’s prakriti.
METHOD
Questionnaire Construction
According to the Ayur-Vedic text Carika Samhita, different affect or subjective feelings may
be associated with each of the three doshas. In 1990, prior to the many subsequent
publications on Maharishi Ayur-Veda, a list of feelings associated with each dosha was
created with the help of Dr. Stuart Rothenberg, MD, Co-Director of Maharishi Ayur-Veda
International and Dean of the College of Maharishi Ayur-Veda at Maharishi University of
Management, and Dr. David Orme-Johnson, former Chairman of the Department of
Psychology at Maharishi University of Management. From this, a set of bipolar adjectives
was created that reflected the most balanced (prakriti) and imbalanced (vrikriti) states
associated with each feeling. The test used a Likert-type scale from -3 to +3 (see Table 1).
Subjects
Nine-hundred
concert.
thirty-one subjects agreed to fill out the questionnaire while attending a
Subjects attended one of five western Baroque guitar or duo piano concerts (N= 217,
average age 37), or one of five classical Indian sitar and vocal concerts of Maharishi
Gandharva VedaSM music (N = 675, average age 40). All concerts occurred at various
colleges in Iowa, except one Maharishi Gandharva VedasM concert was held in Cleveland,
Ohio. For more details on subject selection and research on the effects of Maharishi
Gandharva Veda music, see Olson,1995. Practically all subjects at the Maharishi Gandharva
Veda concerts indicated they practiced the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique.
Audiences for the western Baroque analysis consisted of about 50% non-TM practitioners.
In general, the diversity of settings and concert venues lead to a balanced diversity of
subjects across TM vs. non-TM, male vs. female, rural vs. urban, students vs. employed, and
afternoon vs. evening.
Protocol
Subjects filled in the MAARQ prior to any musical performance as well as after various
portions of the concerts. An &dquo;improvement&dquo; score was calculated as the difference between
the premusic and postmusic scores on each adjective pair. The improvement scores allowed
a test-retest validity check. For additional checks on whether the practice of TM or type of
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
166
Table 1. The Maharishi Ayur-Veda Affective
Response Questionnaire (MAARQ)
concert might influence scores, two
subgroups were also analyzed. One subgroup consisted
of TM practitioners from one of the Maharishi Gandharva-Veda concerts (N 100). The
other subgroup consisted of non-TM practitioners from a collection of four western Baroque
=
concerts
(N = 126).
Statistical Analysis
The
goal
of this research
was
to test the construct
validity
of dosha
typology
within the
Therefore, the main test determined how well the threefold
structure of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha doshas held up under factor analysis. In other words, did
context of a self-report checklist.
the adjective pairs that described each dosha correlate with each other more than with the
other doshas? Were similar correlations observed in a retest context? Were similar correlations observed among subsets of the subject group?
Varimax rotation was used as a means of obtaining orthogonal axes, following
practices indicated in Watson and Tellegen (1985). The number of factors was set at
three on the basis of their psychological meaningfulness. Only coefficients of .35 or
greater were considered members of a given factor, after Thayer (1978). A preliminary
test using Cronbach’s alpha on a subset of subjects (N = 871) provided a test of internal
consistency.
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
167
RESULTS
Internal
Consistency
Cronbach (1984, p. 169) describes the &dquo;alpha coefficient,&dquo; as a test of internal consistency
that tells how well scores obtained by one item (e.g., settled - restless) represent the group
scores (e.g., average of the six items representing Vata dosha). Results given in Table 2 show
that for Vata dosha the reliability coefficient was .9394, and for Kapha dosha, .9008. For
Pitta dosha, the item &dquo;cold/hot&dquo; failed to correlate with its group (r = .054), thus it was
dropped from the questionnaire. The resulting alpha coefficient for Pitta was .5573. Results
indicated sufficient internal consistency to confirm the analysis.
Factor Structures
Varimax
orthogonal rotation was used for the factor analysis. Recall that three population
studied: all subjects combined (N = 931 ), subjects attending the Gandharvagroups
Veda concert (N
100, all practitioners of Transcendental Meditation), and subjects
western
attending
Baroque (N = 126, all non-TM practitioners). Additional factor analysis
studied the &dquo;Improvement&dquo; scores, constituting a &dquo;retest&dquo; event for comparison with the
original scores. To simplify visual grouping, the table presents only factor loadings .35 or
greater. See Table 3 for the results. Considering the &dquo;All&dquo; subjects group, the second factor
was the clearest, with all the Kapha adjectives loading solely on the factor. Therefore, it meets
requirements for defining the degree of Kapha being experienced. It accounted for 24.7% of
were
=
the total variance.
The first factor appears ambiguous. Both Pitta and Vata adjectives loaded on the first
factor, accounting for 38.3% of the total variance. However, note that the Pitta adjectives load
less (.51 -.75) than the Vata adjectives (.75 -.91). The Vata adjectives fall solely within the
factor and dominate it with greater loadings, thus permitting the label of Vata for the factor.
However, some explanation regarding loadings of the Pitta adjectives appears needed. In this
regard, note a traditional explanation regarding Vata-namely, that it &dquo;leads&dquo; the other
doshas. According to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (personal communication), aggravated Vata
can lead to aggravation of the other doshas-giving it the role of &dquo;king&dquo; or &dquo;leader&dquo; of the
doshas. Classic texts indicate about 80 types of disease arise from Vata disorder, 40 from Pita,
and 20 from Kapha, a very stable dosha (Sharma & Clark, 1998, p. 37).
Table 2. Results of Tests of Internal
Consistency of MAARQ Dosha-Related
Adjectives
*With &dquo;cold/hot&dquo; included.
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
168
Table 3. Factor Analyses of the Maharishi Ayur(MAARQ) for Three Populations
*Only coefficients of .35
or
greater
are
Vedic
Affective
included. &dquo;Pre&dquo; identifies
Response Questionnaire
loadings derived from the
MAARQ administered prior to the audience hearing the music. &dquo;Imp&dquo; identifies loadings
derived from the improvement score (postmusic MAARQ scores minus premusic MAARQ
scores). The theoretically assigned dosha affiliation for each adjective is given in the
leftmost column (V, P, K).
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
169
Given this &dquo;leadership&dquo; role, it appears acceptable that the Pitta adjectives would load on
the Vata factor, as well as appear in their own factor, albeit explaining only 4.2% of the
variance of the third factor. The appearance of the third factor as a cluster of Pitta adjectives
gives encouragement to inclusion of the adjectives. They are not entirely redundant to the
Vata adjectives.
A special case must be made for the Pitta adjectives &dquo;serene&dquo; and &dquo;happy.&dquo; Serene fails
to appear in any loading. For the &dquo;All&dquo; group, its highest loading was .25 (not shown) on factor
one, Vata, with negligible loadings on factors 2 and 3. However, the factors analysis for the
additional two groups loaded &dquo;serene&dquo; in both Vata and Pitta factors. Therefore, &dquo;serene&dquo;
remains provisionally acceptable until other evidence rejects its value.2 &dquo;Happy&dquo; inconveniently loads on the Kapha factor as well as the other two factors. This indicates it covaries
with all three doshas. The ubiquity of happiness suggests it may be dropped as a discriminator
in future uses of the MAARQ. However, its absence in the Kapha factor of the GandharvaVeda (GV) group suggests it may play a subtle role in discriminating the doshas. Further
research is recommended.
Results of the analysis centered on the other two groups (GV and WB) followed the factor
structure of the &dquo;All&dquo; group in reasonable degrees, indicating no particular bias associated
with TM participation or with the type of music. Similar conclusions arise out of the
&dquo;Improvement&dquo; analysis.
DISCUSSION
The results of the three sets of factor analysis indicate that the MAARQ reasonably represents
the affective components of Maharishi Ayur-Vedic doshas. The instrument may thus be
used to detect shifts of psychophysiological states within an experimental population. Thus,
objective, repeatable measures of affective state may be obtained in the context of one of the
largest and oldest systems of medical help in the world, Ayur-Veda.
It is useful to continue our study of the MAARQ by placing it in an historical context, with
reference to the underlying psychological constructs, thus contributing to evaluation of its
construct validity, as well.
In a sense, the study of psychology could be considered the study of typologies whenever
sufficient data accumulate to stimulate researchers to create a taxonomy. &dquo;Temperament&dquo;
perhaps best describes the dosha theory. Shapiro ( 1984) indicates that temperament derives
from humoral theory and was picked up by Kretschmer (1925) and Sheldon and Stevens
(1942) in theories of inherited body form or physique. Carl Jung (1923) substituted the word
&dquo;type&dquo; for temperament, consisting of a combination of an attitude and a function. Subsequently, Eysenck attempted to demonstrate a physiological basis for Jungian attitudes,
relating them to traits that could be measured. For example, Eysenck (1967) noted that
extroverts have higher thresholds of ascending reticular activation system activity, thus
exhibiting lower cortical arousal.
Kefir (1984) suggests that a remarkable degree of uniformity appears if, when examining
the work of philosophers and clinicians, one corrects for differences in language. &dquo;Despite the
fact that there is not one term in common out of the 20 terms...,&dquo; according to Kefir, &dquo;it seems
evident that these individuals have come to mutual agreement&dquo; (p. 383). Kefir’s analysis
appears here, together with the possible relation to the three dosha types (see Table 4).
An important contemporary investigator of similar structures associated with &dquo;mood&dquo;
suggests that questionnaires serve an important role in defining one’s psychophysiological
state (Thayer, 1989). Thayer has found, for example, that measures of physiological arousal
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
170
~
<u
b0fl
>~· ~,:,M S
£ 8 @
O bp ,-.~
~S . ~ ~ , C
ci «~%
W
C6
~ i
~8
ci
’X q~h~5
Q_
Q
0.,
64
040
04
.n°r,°~’w
w
.- qQ
~M
(U
ct-~ s-4
$ 4i
<uCd
5o~
«
cd
~ ~...na
~
C
~2
a)
ed
,u
.Cd
~ a
°5
Cd
&copy;
# _~£
~ ~=
0o
=$
&dquo;0
cj
0. C.)
~~
U
z
£ §
£o Cd~ ~t)O
«~
°
~l%
-~ S
CM
1’§
04 to
0040 .a~=
CIS0
1-4
~j3M
~~
s
%%~
e s
~ s
U
Q
&dquo; U > S
3
~ a~.~ . a4
~ ~
~
4-4
> S 00
Et
-~
4-4 4-4
0-4
j§~
coo
.
*a
a
4)
s
(U
h
40
a.
s
I
E-4
CI-4
0
ca
T!
b
0:pl
CI-4
0
a
o
fI1
t
co
04
s
0
u
4S
a~
Lt
E-4
rA
5
C’s
c5 2~
-a
.Gct
55
-~
0
§
0
5 £
N
~~ °5fl
.~.-5
i ~~
g2
r.
cl
~
~x ~:z
;~ ZW °
> 4-4
°
o
6. 4)
4-4bo &dquo;=
s
ca
-
v’
O u
cl
0a ~ 2
:3
5 fl
~0=j
t-iU
cl
U
O ~
0
txo
~’~ ~S .5~ ~~
m
5o
0
¢,
C
o ~04
b
<~
i,v~,
~~
ed
0
~
M
rA
·b
&dquo;
’S ~
&copy;
-
0 Cd
<u ~
~ ~3
~/~Qs &V~cl
~
-5W*-’ CO
cd 4)
M ..
§
CIS
u
04 -S -~~
*#~~*
oi 9
I~ Y5 ~
fl
-9
E ~ q~ q~
cl s
M ’b
& ~ ~8 % q~ °~£ flj_
~ 4.
~C)6 ~ ~ f.~
&copy;
&copy;
M .%..,r a~.~
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
.3E
’C .~ O
171
correlate better with the subjective self-report of mood than with one another. This improved
predictability is an outcome of &dquo;controlled introspection&dquo; in which the observer becomes the
best monitor of the integrated outcome of various bodily functions. However, the role of
treatment in modifying mood suggests that mood and the physiological substrate ultimately
interact. One does not necessarily have causal primacy over the other. Thayer (1978) suggests
that ...
Many problems involving anxiety might be better understood with respect to the present model
[of the moods of energy and tension]. As a case in point, occupational and other kinds of activity
therapies have long been successfully employed.... With a thorough understanding of the
parameters of this [model] it may be possible to design activity-based therapies more effectively
(p. 31 ).
It is this promise that suggests the benefit of measuring psychophysiological states with the
MAARQ. In addition, the weight of the tradition ofAyur-Vedic approaches to health suggests
that
significant progress has been made in determining how the human physiology
for modification through various modes of treatment.
offers
means
NOTES
’&reg; Transcendental Mediation, TM, Maharishi Ayur-Veda, Maharishi Vedic Approach to
Health, and Maharishi Gandharva Veda are registered or common law trademarks licenced
to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation and used under sublicense or with
permission.
’The &dquo;provisional&dquo; nature of acceptance for &dquo;serene&dquo; may have been foreshortened by
publications subsequent to development of the MAARQ. Some authors report their investigations associate &dquo;serene&dquo; with Kapha dosha (e.g., Sharma, 1993, p. 301). The same author
associates &dquo;exhilarated&dquo; with Vata dosha as well (instead of with Kapha). However, the
current study uses negative terms in the bipolar scales for both adjectives that remain
associated with the original doshas. This may be the reason the factor loadings have remained
more or less true to the theory for the current study.
REFERENCES
Bannerman, R., H., Burton, J., Ch’en, W.-C. (Eds.). (1988). Traditional medicine and health
care coverage. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Cronbach, L. J. (1984). Essentials of psychological testing (4th ed.). New York: Harper and
Row Publishers.
The biological basis .
of personality Springfield, IL: Thomas.
Maharishi
An
introduction to recent research. Modem
J.
L.
Glaser,
(1988).
Ayurveda:
Science and Vedic Science, 2
(1), 89-108.
Jung, C. (1923). Psychological types. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Kefir, N. (1984). Dispositional sets (p. 383). In R. J. Corsini & B. D. Ozaki (Eds.),
Encyclopedia of psychology (Vol. 3). New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Kretschner, E. (1925). Physique and character. New York: Harcourt Brace.
Olson, T. M. (1995). Increased personal harmony and integration as effects of Maharishi
Gandharva Veda music on affect, physiology, and behavior: The psychophysiology of
an evolving audience. PhD thesis in the Department of Psychology, Maharishi University of Management.
Eysenck, N. W. (1967).
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016
172
Schneider, R. H., Wallace, R. K., Kasture, H. S., Averbach, R., Rothenberg, S., & Robinson,
D. K. (1985, September). Physiological and psychological correlates of Maharishi
Ayurveda psychosomatic types. Paper presented at the Eighth World Congress of the
International College of Psychosomatic Medicine, Chicago, IL.
Shapiro, K. J. (1984). Temperaments (p. 410). In R. J. Corsini & B. D. Ozaki (Eds.),
Encyclopedia of psychology (Vol. 3). New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Sharma, H. (1993). Freedom from disease (pp. 269-312). Toronto, Ontario: Veda Publishing,
Inc.
Alexander, C. (1996a). Maharishi Ayureveda: Research review, part 1.
(1), 21-28.
Complementary Medicine International, 3
Sharma, H., & Alexander, C. (1996b). Maharishi Ayureveda: Research review, part 2:
Maharishi Ayurveda herbal food supplements and additional strategies. Complementary
Sharma, H., &
Medicine International, 3
(2), 17-28.
Sheldon, W. H., & Stevens, S. S. (1942). The varieties .
of temperament New York: Harper
& Brothers, Publishers.
Sharma, H., & Clark, C. (1998). Contemporary Ayurveda: Medicine and research in
Maharishi Ayur-Veda (pp. 43-47). New York: Churchill Livingstone.
Singh, R. H., Singh, N. B., & Udupa, K. N. (1980). A study of tridosha as neurohumors.
Journal of Research in Ayurveda and Siddha, 1
(1), 1-20.
Thayer, R. E. (1978). Factor analytic and reliability studies on the activation-deactivation
, 747-756.
adjective check list. Psychological Reports, 42
a
R.
E.
Toward
(1978).
theory of multidimensional activation
psychological
Thayer,
(1), 1-34.
(arousal). Motivation and Emotion, 2
. New York: Oxford Press.
Thayer, R. E. (1980). The biopsychology of mood and arousal
Watson, D., & Tellegen, A. (1985) Toward a consensual structure of mood. Psychological
Bulletin, 98
(2), 219-235.
Data. Theresa M. Olson received her PhD in Psychology at Maharishi
in 1995. Her dissertation topic: Increased personal harmony and
integration as effects of Maharishi Gandharva Veda music on affect, physiology, and
behavior: The psychophysiology of an evolving audience. Her present academic interests
include the effects of healing sound and traditional forms of music on the individual,
Maharishi Vedic Psychology and the Psychology of World Religions. Presently, she is an
Assistant Professor of Psychology at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield,
Iowa. John W. Sorflaten received his PhD from the University of Iowa in 1994, in the field
of Educational Design and Technology. His dissertation topic: Piaget’s concept of formal
operational reasoning and whole brain function: Evidence from EEG alpha coherence during
Transcendental Meditation. As a Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology at Maharishi
University of Management, Dr. Sorflaten has spearheaded the implementation of a specialized master’s degree program in human-computer interface design offered by the Psychology
Department at MUM. Dr. Sorflaten is also Project Direcor at Human Factors International
located in Fairfield, Iowa. His areas of interest include human-computer interface design and
Maharishi Vedic Psychology.
Biographical
International
University
Offprints. Requests for offprints should be directed to Theresa M. Olson, PhD, Assistant
Professor, Psychology Department, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, IA
52556.
Downloaded from chp.sagepub.com at PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV on September 19, 2016