Skip to content

Case Study 2 Rite of Passage

Question 1
A rite of the passage can be considered as the ceremony which does mark the individual
transition from being one part of life to another. This is the ceremonial event which does exist
to the societies which are historical known and which can mark the passage from being on
social status to another religious status all over the world it gives great attention to the general
types of rites that do explain the purpose from people’s perspectives which do observe the
rites and do discuss the cultural, social and psychological significance gets seen by the
scholars for having the human behavior understanding (Haimon, 2018).
According to the saying of Dan Milliman, Positive change can jump to the energy of high
level and awareness and it can involve the rite of passage.
We should go through a time of hardship, or introduction, every time we rise to a greater rung
on the ladder of self-development. Quota; Birth for a child, becoming a wife for a woman,
graduation parties, and retirement plans are all instances of initiation rites. As a result, we
might argue that passing throughout every phase of life is a rite of passage. The majority of
rites of passage are religious or cultural. They serve to promote the prevalent cultural and
religious norms.

Question 2
There can be a good example for the rite of passage is about turning to the adulthood
According to me, a school graduation ceremony is considered as the rite of passage that I
have experienced first-hand. This was the formal ceremony according to me.
I have received the formal invitation card which has been received by the school one week
before the event. The invitation card has been accompanied by the letter which contained the
rules of the conduct and chart of the event happening. We have been permitted for arriving at
the venue at least 1 hour before the event starts. We were informed to wear formal attire. This
event has been started at 10 am having silent prayer. The director, vice-principal, principal,
and the class teachers were present there at the event. They have been given formal speeches
which outline the growth academically and the expectations of all of us. Representatives of
our class have shared their experience in school on behalf of students. Parent teachers’
association members have delivered the speech on parents’ behalf. Then formal felicitation ceremony has been conducted in which all students’ names have been called out and we have
been lined there for receiving. Then after that entire batch photograph with the teachers has
been taken. After completion of the ceremony, the teacher has given the vote of thanks and
then ends the ceremony (Forth, 2018).

Question 3
This individual does go by the transition from the teenager to the adult. It is considered that
going to adulthood having means going to the other part of life. In this reflection to the
definition 1 is considered as Rite if the passage can be the ceremony which can mark the
individual transition from one step of the life to the other step of the life and being turned to
the adult can be the example of the rites of the passage. Being an adult can make the person
mature emotionally and physically as gets done by puberty. Challenges that get met by adults
besides the things people have been expecting from the adult can help in growing as a person.
This has been said by Dan Millman in the ascending for the higher rung on the personal
evolution ladder. As a person goes by so many different steps of life and by this there is more
experience and knowledge get experienced which can help in better physical, emotional and
mental person (Glozah & Lawani, 2014).

Question 4
As there are some generally recognized rites of the passage can be cultural and religious. It is
really important as it can reinforce cultural values and religious views. Rites of passage can
give can mark the individual transition from one step of life to the other step of life. This does
describe the expectations of society for the individual on a particular step of life. Rite of
passage can give someone a sense of belonging and identity. This can be seen in the societies
as different children can socialize and group with children and new roles approval. As an
example, a person can take participate in the election when the person gets reached the legal
age. Giving birth can indicate that wife and husband can become the father and mother. As
the native American societies can celebrate the first menses of the girl. For example, girls’
parents among Luiseno and southern California Indians can announce to the community that
their daughters of them have started menstruating and becoming women. Girls have been
buried partly in the heated sand. They have not been permitted for scratching and eating the
slat and they have been provided instruction by the older women about changes related to the
psychology which has been occurred and how wives and women can behave. For the North American girls, announcements of the public which has begun menstruating can be
considered as humiliating. This is the matter of the family and personal pride in the Native
American cultures. As boys do not experience clear markers of the psychology of the
transition to adulthood menstruation and the rites of the passage to the culture’s new status
can be more severe than the girls. Rite of the passage is really important in societies as before
history has been recorded. The Rite of the passage can indicate womanhood and manhood. In
so many religions all over the world could be determined by the rite of the passage that how
close we are to god and what is the social status in the religious community (Van Gennep,
2013).

References
Forth, G. (2018). Rites of Passage. The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology, 1-7.
Glozah, F. N., & Lawani, S. (2014). Social change and adolescent rites of passage: A cross
cultural perspective. Journal of Human Sciences, 11(1), 1188-1197.
Haimson, O. (2018). Social media as social transition machinery. Proceedings of the ACM on
Human-Computer Interaction, 2(CSCW), 1-21.
Van Gennep, A. (2013). The rites of passage. Routledge.