Recent evidence purporting that stress contributes to the development of disorders ranging from depression to cancer to general immunological dysfunction suggests that a concise understanding of stress and stress management techniques is needed in order to develop efficacious interventions. What is needed is an effective, easy-to-learn technique that promotes self-growth while reducing stress. Meditation has been acknowledged as a technique that may fulfill the requirements. Current research on meditation has begun to emphasize the importance of individual differences in cognitive analysis of stress and stress management. In recent years, a number of investigators have reported data indicating profound physiological changes resulting from the practice of meditation. Meditation appears to have several distinct advantages as an aid to personal change. It is a natural and easily learned technique that requires only occasional supervision, which therefore has potential for implementation within the stress management curriculum for college students. The goals of meditation appear to be theoretically similar to Maslow's model of the self-actualized person. While research has indicated a positive relationship between self-actualization and meditation, several methodological problems have been expressed in that research and must be resolved before adequate conclusions can be reached. Since studies report that practitioners of meditation have gained increased emotional stability and reductions of stress as benefits, it may be appropriate to include the instruction of meditation within health education curricula at the university level. (NB)