Uppsatsen utgår från upptäckten av ett mönster i Collins teori om interaktionsritualer. Mönstret består i att flera av idéerna och begreppen som används i Collins teori kan förstås som upplevelser av likhet mellan de samspelande individerna. Baserat på upptäckten av detta mönster formuleras uppsatsens syfte. Syftet är att utveckla grunddragen till en ny teori om interaktionsritualer som förklarar interaktionsritualer utifrån individers upplevelser av likhet. För att uppfylla syftet diskuteras fyra aspekter av interaktionsritualer. I anslutning till den första aspekten presenteras en förklaring till varför individer som upplever likhet ger varandra stöd i sina interaktionsritualer. I diskussionen kring den andra aspekten presenteras begreppet likhetens upprymdhet, som visar hur individers upplevelse av likhet är avgörande för interaktionsritualers genererande av emotionell energi. Genom den tredje aspekten framställs en komplett beskrivning av likhetsteorin, som förklarar interaktionsritualer utifrån individers upplevelse av likhet. Slutligen, i diskussionen kring den fjärde aspekten av interaktionsritualer, prövas likhetsteorin mot empiriska studier. I uppsatsens avslutande avsnitt framhävs hur likhetsteorin ger viktiga bidrag till förståelsen av interaktionsritualer och förslag på vidare forskning presenteras. / The subject of the thesis originates in the discovery of a pattern in Collins’ theory of interaction rituals. The pattern indicates that several important ideas and concepts in Collins’ theory can be conceived as individuals’ experiences of similarity. Based upon the discovery of this pattern, the aim of the thesis is to develop the basic features of a new theory that explains interaction rituals by centering upon individuals’ experiences of similarity. In order to accomplish the aim, the essay discusses four aspects of interaction rituals. In connection to the first aspect, an explanation is presented that reveals why individuals who experience similarity give each other support in their interaction rituals. Discussing the second aspect, the concept of effervescence of similarity is presented, which explains why experiences of similarity are crucial for generating emotional energy in interaction rituals. When developing the third aspect, a complete description of similarity theory is presented. Similarity theory explains interaction rituals by referring to individuals’ experiences of similarity. Finally, in the discussion of the fourth aspect, similarity theory is tested against empirical research. The concluding sections argue for ways in which similarity theory may contribute considerably to the understanding of interaction rituals. Also, suggestions for further research are presented.

The aim of my work was to analyze how three bloggers, who lost a child to sud- den infant death syndrome SIDS, used different rituals and coping strategies in their blogs. I analyzed how these mothers, through blogging on the Internet, ex- press their grief, what kind of rituals they have performed in the grieving process, and whether these rituals can be seen as part of a coping strategy to deal with the grief. My analysis was based on a deductive approach with the help of the coping theory which MarieAnne Ekedahls (2001) used in her research and the theories about ritualization which Carin Åblad Lundström (2010) used in her. In my analy- sis, I made a transverse text analysis using the analysis program Open Code. I used Open Code to structure and upload my material, and analyzed it along Eke- dahls (2001) coping theory and Åblad Lundström (2010) theories about ritualiza- tions as a coping strategy when dealing with SIDS. The essay was divided into three different parts. Part I was based on Ekedahls (2001) coping model to analyze how the bloggers produce various coping strate- gies in their texts. The conclusion was that all coping strategies were prominent in the blogs. Part II, in which Åblad Lundström’s (2010) model was used, estab- lished that ritualization was useful when dealing with death. The rituals were thus also the prominent component in all of the three blogs on a religious, private and social level, and both in private and in public. Finally, these two theories were combined in Part III, where it was possible to conclude that the appropriate rituals could be connected with one or more of the designed coping strategies. Coping strategies involve either preserving or reconstructing methods and ways of mov- ing on, while rituals result in a contact with the individual's inner or outer worlds. In this way, it was possible to see rituals as a coping strategy. Both coping strate- gies and rituals were combined, so none of the bloggers used only one strategy or ritual, but used many of them when dealing with death.

The principal aim of the thesis is to investigate the mortuary practices of the late Iron Age period in south-eastern Britain, focusing on identification of the wider sequence of activity. It is evident that the deposition of the calcined remains and associated objects are just one element in a more complicated pattern of behaviour. A number of contemporary inhumation burials and mortuary-related features drawn from an increasing number of sites illustrate the wider practices in operation. The identification of pyre-related features and debris lies at the core of this study providing an opportunity to advance understanding of pyre technology as well as the mortuary rituals. This study provides an opportunity to advance late Iron Age mortuary studies in relation to the cosmological, political and ideological structure (Fitzpatrick 1997; Pearce 1997a; 1997b; 1999; McKinley 2000).

Esta pesquisa visa analisar as práticas religiosas dos devotos de São João Maria, em uma região interiorana do sul do estado do Paraná e do planalto catarinense. A devoção e o culto ao santo são presentes na região onde, há quase um século, ocorreu a Guerra do Contestado, um movimento de cunho milenarista e messiânico. Procura-se, através de uma etnografia multi-situada, apreender estas práticas religiosas com uma proposta teórica que surge de um campo emergente na antropologia de discussões associadas aos estudos de performance. A partir dos estudos de Stanley Tambiah, intenta-se uma abordagem que privilegia os rituais das práticas de culto ao santo apoiado em um diálogo da antropologia com as perspectivas teatrais oriundas da instigante parceria de autores como Victor Turner e Richard Schechner. / This research intends to analyze the devotees of Saint João Marias religious practices, from an inland region of Paraná state´s south and from the Santa Catarina´s plateau. The devotion and the cult to the Saint can be found at the region where, almost a century ago, occurred the Contestado War, a millenialist and messianic movement. Using the multisited ethnography, we intend to understand these religious practices, through a theoretical proposal which appears by an emergent anthropology field of discussions related to the performance studies. Based on Stanley Tambiah, we propose an approach that privileges the rituals of these practices, supported by a dialogue between anthropology and theatrical perspectives coming from Victor Turner and Richard Schechner works.

Les processus hypnotiques font l'objet d’études transdisciplinaires qui attestent d’un état spécifique et impliquent des dimensions relationnelles et contextuelles (Rainville, 2004 ; Bioy, 2017). Cette recherche s’effectue dans le contexte des Troubles du Deuil Persistant (T.D.P, Prigerson, 2009 ; Zech, 2006 ; Fasse, 2013). Une approche pharmacologique améliore la composante dépressive sans affecter les symptômes spécifiques du TDP, questionnant la place des interventions psychothérapeutiques (Hensley, 2006). Cette recherche exploratoire interroge le sens que peut prendre l'expérience hypnotique dans un contexte de TDP et d’en décrire une phénoménologie. La dimension rituelle du dispositif hypnotique pourrait sous-tendre les phénomènes de « guérisons immédiates » (Michaux, 2007), tâche aveugle dans la pratique de l'hypnothérapie. Il s’agit d’une recherche-action qualitative, longitudinale, utilisant l’Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 2009). Les résultats montrent que l’hypnose peut endosser une fonction de rituel thérapeutique qui se caractérise par une scansion temporelle nette, comme acte de clôture. Nous avons identifié une mythologie hypnotique relevant du « savoir commun », tributaire de l’intensité des expectatives et croyances sur l’hypnose, notamment de ses dimensions « magiques » et « thérapeutiques ». L’effet de cadre et la ritualisation séquencée de la séance sont primordiaux. Les personnes expérimentant un rituel de « guérison immédiate » étaient exemptes de comorbidités psychiatriques majeures. Les éléments centraux sont : l’alliance thérapeutique, l’absence de compétition avec d’autres systèmes de croyances, le respect de l’écologie psychique du sujet, son engagement dans un changement de relation avec le défunt et l’ouverture d’une opportunité socialement acceptable pour le produire. Cette ritualité est un acte de clôture d'un mode de relation. Les situations d'inopérance du dispositif montrent des effets de dissonance cognitive induite, entre soumission temporaire à une suggestion et résistance à un vécu d’abandon du défunt. Les dimensions de « fidélité » et de « loyauté » sont majeures dans ces phénomènes, face à un hypnothérapeute « sujet supposé pouvoir ». / Hypnotic processes are the subject of transdisciplinary studies that attest to a specific state and involve relational and contextual dimensions (Rainville, 2004; Bioy, 2017). This research is carried out in the context of Persistent Grief Disorders (P.G.D.., Prigerson, 2009, Zech, 2006, Fasse, 2013). A pharmacological approach improves the depressive component without affecting the specific symptoms of PGD, questioning the place of psychotherapeutic interventions (Hensley, 2006). This exploratory research questions the meaning that hypnotic experience can take in a PGD context and describes a phenomenology. The ritual dimension of the hypnotic device could underlie the phenomena of "immediate healings" (Michaux, 2007), a blind task in the practice of hypnotherapy. This is a qualitative longitudinal action research using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, 2009). The results show that hypnosis can assume a therapeutic ritual function that is characterized by a clear temporal scansion, as an act of closure of a mode of relationship. We have identified a hypnotic mythology of "common knowledge",dependent on the intensity of expectations and beliefs about hypnosis, especially its "magical" and "therapeutic" dimensions. The frame effect and the sequential ritualization of the session are major. People experiencing an "immediate healing" ritual were free of major psychiatric comorbidities. The central elements are: the therapeutic alliance, the absence of competition with other belief systems, respect for the psychological ecology of the subject, his involvement in a change of relationship with the deceased and the opening of a socially acceptable opportunity to produce it. Situations of inoperability show effects of cognitive dissonance induced, between temporary submission to a suggestion and resistance to a lived experience of abandonment of the deceased. The dimensions of "fidelity" and "loyalty" are major in these phenomena.

La littérature grecque permet de dénombrer une petite centaine de plantes utilisées dans l'Antiquité pour la confection de couronnes. Quelques unes de ces plantes nourrissent avec les puissances divines des relations privilégiées : le lierre, le laurier, le myrte, le chêne, l'olivier, l'oléastre entrent en résonnance avec Dionysos, Apollon, Aphrodite, Zeus, Athéna ou Héraclès. Comment s'opèrent ces rencontres entre matière et imaginaire ? De quelles façons la phusis de ces végétaux intervientelle dans ce jeu dialectique où l'imaginaire se nourrit de perceptions sensibles, où les perceptions sensibles sont elles-mêmes biaisées par l'imaginaire ? Les littératures botanique et médicale, riches d'informations sur les qualités des végétaux, nous permettent parfois d'atteindre ces particularités qui autorisent la mise en congruence d'une plante et d'un dieu. Ces quelques plantes, ne représentent pas, loin de là, toutes les plantes à couronnes utilisées. La violette, la rose, la jacinthe, l'asphodèle, le gattilier, le pin ou le céleri et bien d'autres encore, suggèrent tout un monde d'odeurs, de couleurset de symboles dont les sources littéraires et techniques nous laissent percevoir quelques bribes. Quelles que soient la quantité et la qualité des informations dont nous disposons pour chacun de ces végétaux, les sources montrent combien les stéphanomata font partie du quotidien des anciens Grecs. Les couronnes végétales marquent les moments de joie, de plaisir et de bonheur, elles distinguent les vainqueurs de nombreux concours et l'homme vertueux. Portées ou offertes, elles marquent ce moment de recueillement où l'être humain tente d'obtenir la faveur ou la protection des dieux, cet instant où il rend hommage au parent défunt / About a hundred plants used in Antiquity for the making of wreaths are mentioned in greek literature. Some of these plants are linked to the gods through specific relationships : ivy, laurel, myrtle, oak, olive and oleaster are connected with Dionysos, Apollo, Aphrodite, Zeus, Athena and Heracles. How do these material and imaginary worlds meet? In which ways does the phusis of these plants come into play in the dialectic process where the imaginary world is nurtured by sense perception, and where sense perceptions are themselves informed by the imaginary world ? Through Botanical and medical literature -both very informative on the qualities of the plants- we sometimes identify these peculiarities that allow us to establish the congruency between a plant and a god. These few plants are not, by far, all the plants used for the making of wreaths. The violet, the rose, the hyacinth, the asphodel, the chaste-tree, the pine, the celery and lots of other plants suggest a world made of odours, colours and symbols, from which we only perceive a few fragments through the literary and botanical sources. No matter the quality and the amount of information available to us for each of these plants, evidentiary sources show us how much the stéphanomata were part of the ancient's Greeks daily life. Wreaths made of plants mark moments of joy, pleasure, happiness, they single out the winners of numerous games and the virtuous men. Worn or offered,they characterize this contemplative moment when human being seeks the favor or the protection of the gods, as well as this instant when he pays homage to a departed parent

This thesis frames the transition into motherhood as a rite of passage; proposes a new model for the rite of passage into motherhood based on the four seasons; and highlights the importance of contextual and specific ritual actions or sequences to navigate the transition. Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with ten western women, from a middle class, Christian background, who had all become mothers through childbirth, are examined under three main headings. Firstly, the women’s experiences of their transition are explored using rites of passage theory as a lens. Although significant differences emerge, particularly from a gender perspective, important themes within the women’s experiences are highlighted, including the nature of relationships; the importance of support; journaling; and the telling of birthing stories. The influences of contemporary cultural aspects such as the medicalization of childbirth and myths about motherhood are also taken into account. Secondly, the field of ritual studies is explored in order to provide a framework in which to situate the women’s ritualizing. Existing rituals associated with motherhood are analysed and gaps are identified in existing Christian liturgical resources for this area, specifically for ritual actions or sequences marking motherhood as a rite of passage, and for the expression of birthing stories. A working definition of ritualizing is also established and the research findings are divided according to time frame, exploring the women’s ritualizing before birth, around birth and after birth. Thirdly, spirituality in relation to childbirth and the transition into motherhood is explored and its place within healthcare and theological literature examined. Nicola Slee’s theory on women’s faith development is used to draw out some of the patterns that emerge from the interviewees’ experiences, and the sacramental nature of birthing is considered. The thesis concludes with a critique of implications and associated suggestions for those within a church or healthcare context with responsibility for the pastoral and spiritual care of women during their transition into motherhood.

This dissertation reflects on the problem of the Vhavenda experience of simultaneous belief in the life hereafter and the Biblical God. The study therefore indicates a systematic analysis of the Vhavenda concept of God as well as of life hereafter with regard to their own traditional and cultural experience. It became clear that Africans through the ages did believe in God. The human beings are created by God and life is a gift from God to the individuals, which means that they believed in God long before the missionaries came to this country. Africans had their own culture and their own religion. It is stated that God was worshipped as the greatest one. His Venda name was Nwali. In certain areas he was called by other names such as Raluvhimba and Khuzwane. This is a clear indication that the Vhavenda worshipped one God although they referred to him in three names; other tribe had other names for him. Burial rituals play a significant role in Venda culture as it a pointer to the new world of the living dead. The burial rites make it quite vivid that bereaved believed strongly and convincingly that the dead is only making a way or taking a journey to his /her final destiny, the new world only know to the deceased .The living are convinced that the deceased have extra - power, as they are nearer to God, and they are now in possession of double powers, the one they had whilst they were still alive and the one they acquired after death. Death is just a process of removing a person from the present of his being into the past .He / she goes to the land of the living dead which is not very different from this one. It is a duplication of this life. He / she will join the deceased members of his /her family. Life will continue just as it has been. Death is not feared but accepted as something natural and inevitable. After all, it is through death that one joins one’s departed fellows; therefore death is not regarded as annihilation. The researcher has found out that there are few things which the African traditional religion seems not to understand or come to terms with regard to Christ and Christianity. In this case, the idea of Jesus as the Son of God and only great ancestor of all humanity seems to be a very strange and confusing concept among African traditionalists. They seemed to be failing to understand that Christ is a new great ancestor not in terms of family mediation only, but in the all inclusive and holistic approach in matters pertaining to faith. Christ Jesus is not only the great ancestor, but is God, mediator and saviour. The Christian eschatology does differ from the traditional Venda belief, in a very important instance, while ‘’eternal life’’ for the Vhavenda means reaching back into the past , joining the living dead whose lives are behind us , the Christian message reaches into the future, the coming of Jesus Christ , the promise of a new Heaven and a new Earth. At the end a number of conclusions reached and a few points for future research added. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Science of Religion and Missiology / unrestricted

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the history and rituals of Japanese Soto Zen nuns and American Soto Zen ordained women in order to examine the motivations behind each group’s practices and distinguish the differences in the intent and practice of American Soto women’s rituals, specifically their reactions to the influence of feminism, and the effects of American syncretization in order to identify if a schism or a continuation is occurring within the Soto Zen tradition. Along with a survey of published research, interviews were conducted with two scholars and prominent ordained Soto practitioners–eight female and three male. Findings suggest that while maintaining strict adherence to specific orthodox rituals, American Soto women also reinterpret Soto traditions and adapt new practices to address the needs of American women’s practice. Findings further indicate the effects of American syncretization in nurturing a legitimate albeit uniquely American expression of Soto Zen.

Many researchers have sought to identify the antecedents of deviant behavior. The purpose of this study was to explore whether family rituals might contribute to social control, and thereby reduce deviant behavior. Walter Reckless' containment theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. This theory suggests that both inner and outer containment variables control social behavior. It was proposed that meaningful family rituals would contribute to the development of inner and outer containment, and therefore, reduce the number of deviant behaviors committed by the respondents. In this study, the inner containment variable was self-esteem, and the outer containment variables were participation in conforming activities with family members both inside and outside the home, and participation in extracurricular activities. Two hundred and seven incarcerated respondents and 217 college students responded to three survey instruments, the Family Rituals Questionnaire, the Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventory, and a Family Information Inventory. Findings indicated that the college students reported experiencing more meaningful family rituals than the incarcerated respondents. Results indicate that the two groups differed significantly on all of the major variables. However, meaningful family rituals had little association with self-esteem, and self-esteem had no relationship with deviant behavior. Meaningful family rituals did account for some variation in participation in conforming activities with family members inside and outside the home and for participation in extracurricular activities. However, the variables that were most significant for explaining deviant behavior were the risk factors of age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, neighborhood crime, and parents's deviance. Future research should explore the role of risk factors in explaining deviant behavior and study the role of meaningful family rituals and the role they might play in creating a qualitative difference in family life.