Lauren Clark (FGCU): Rites of Passage

Why do each society’s rites of passage differ? Some occur at different ages, and different life stages, and of course the type of change to the person’s life. For example, we’ve all heard about the rituals performed in the African tribes. To us, these rituals sound absurd, not to mention usually painful, but for the members of the tribe, it is a mark of distinction and provides them with more respect within the tribe.

                Regardless of the type of ritual or event marking this important time in the individual’s life, there are always high emotions surrounding the event. Those less-socialized cultures may find that the individual has heightened fears about the upcoming event or process leading to their maturation. But what about our civilization and society?

                In general, men and women of more developed countries do not undergo as painful or scarring rituals as their rites of passage, but seem to find life events more relatable. Being a college student, I know that already I have experienced many of these important events, and that there will be more to come. I’ve been through birthdays, first days of school, graduating high school, and getting accepted into college and moving away from home. All of these events bring up very strong emotions, some good and some bad, but all memorable, and that’s the point.

                The function of our society is to produce individuals adapted to the society, as quoted by Mr. Andoscia early on. It is a process of learning skills and acquiring status, and doing so through agents of socialization such as family, peers, religion, and media.

                So no matter what country you’re from, you’ll most likely find yourself within your culture gauging certain life events as more important than others, and these events will differ within each social group around the world. The reason behind this is the socializing of the individuals within the society to live up to standards and acquire status.

This entry was posted on 9. April 2009 at 07:10 and is filed under Introduction to Sociology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.