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Rituals

Rituals. Marriage and Family Interaction HPERF258. What Are Family Rituals?.

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Rituals

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  1. Rituals Marriage and Family Interaction HPERF258

  2. What Are Family Rituals? • Family rituals are built around common symbols and symbolic actions. They are familiar to family members and this familiarity provides an emotional anchor. They provide a sense of safety and acceptance to members -- (Imber-Black & Roberts)

  3. What do rituals look like? • Rituals are composed by metaphors, symbols and actions that are “packaged” in a highly condensed dramatic form to establish and maintain family identity • Rituals are time-bounded and space-bounded, and provide a sense of psychological safety and membership in a group for participants.

  4. Recognizing rituals and ritual like activities • Big R • Little r • Ritualized behavior

  5. Similarities between rituals and routines • The may have a similar appearance • Involve more than one family member, • Involve overt behavior, • Repetition of form and content, • There is continuity and change in both.

  6. Differences between ritual and routines • Differ in amount of emotion involved • Differ in amount of symbolism • Behavior in rituals is relatively unique, unusual and extraordinary • Rituals involve unique staging: preparation, enactment, and return to normal

  7. In your small group • Talk about family rituals and routines. • What are some of the rituals in your family? • “big R” • Little ”r” • How do you know the difference? • Are there any rituals that have become routinized? • How have you maintained genuine rituals in your family?

  8. Sequence/staging of rituals • Preparation • Enactment • Return to normal

  9. Typology of Rituals (Imber-Black, Roberts & Whiting, 1989) • Underritualized • family neither celebrates or marks family changes nor join much in larger societal rituals • Rigidly ritualized • very prescribed behaviors, rituals tend to stay the same over time rather than evolving

  10. Typology of Rituals (2) • Skewed ritualization • one side or aspect of family is emphasized over others • Hollow ritual as event, not process • Rituals observed out of obligation, with little real meaning

  11. Typology of Rituals (3) • Ritual process interrupted or unable to be openly experienced • At time of sudden change or traumatic events, the family is unable to fully experience the whole ritual process. • Flexibility to adapt rituals • The ability to change rituals to better meet the needs/desires of family members.

  12. Ritual Themes (Imber-Black & Roberts) • Individual rituals can fit one, some, or all of these themes • Membership • Ability to participate in ritual indicates that one is a member of the group • E.g., Being able to participate in family photo after you are married to your partner, but not before

  13. Ritual Themes (2) • Identity • Your role in the ritual indicates your identity or a change in identity in the family • E.g., wedding ceremony

  14. Ritual Themes (3) • Belief Expression and Negotiation • Ritual may involve symbolic expression of beliefs • E.g., At Thanksgiving, going around table and allowing everyone to go around and express thanks for being a member of the family; children’s prayers at bedtime • Family is safe place to express and negotiate differences in beliefs

  15. Ritual Themes (4) • Celebration • Family members come together to celebrate some aspect of the life of one or more members or of the family in general • E.g., Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary; birthdays

  16. Ritual Themes (5) • Healing • Intended to produce personal and relational healing • Remembering and honoring the dead • Communal coming together to provide support and care for each other

  17. Designing a ritual (1) • What are the purpose and goals of the ritual? • What are the basic elements of the ritual? • E.g., Openness to change, how often it should be repeated, who is involved

  18. Designing a ritual (2) • What is the content? • Behaviors—who does what? • Symbolism—what does it mean? • Emotions—what is the emotional impact? How do family members feel about it? • In order to be effective, rituals must be affective

  19. Small group discussion • Design a family ritual using the information above and the information from reading #51

  20. In your small group (cont.) • Discuss the ritual themes. Can you identify any other themes of your own family’s routines? If you are a member of more than one family, how are rituals different in each?

  21. Final Thoughts on Lecture Material • Describe how has your family has used ritual. • Remember to turn this in to your discussion leader.

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