Rituals in family life: A qualitative study of clinical and non-clinical families

Chitra Subrahmanian, Purdue University

Abstract

One "whole family process" currently enjoying considerable attention from family therapists is "family ritual." There is a growing tendency to measure the adequacy of the ritual lives of families in therapy and prescribe appropriate rituals for perceived deficiencies. From the literature one might assume that clinical families (families who are in therapy) are likely to have fewer rituals, experience more ritual disruption, and pass on these bad habits to future generations than "normal," non-clinical families. However there is little research evidence to substantiate these assumptions. In the present study, matched pairs of clinical and non-clinical families are compared to assess the similarities and differences in their ritual lives, with particular emphasis on the meanings that rituals have for the participants in these two groups. A qualitative, ethnographic research design has been used to answer the research questions. Two matched pairs of clinical and non-clinical families and a third clinical family, which could not be adequately matched, were interviewed by the researcher in their homes. All participating families were intact nuclear families, and had no history of alcohol abuse. The perspectives of all family members living in the home were solicited, except children below the age of six and above the age of eighteen. The interviews were semi-structured and interview data are augmented by the researcher's observations about the families and their environment, as well as her own personal experiences of ritual. The findings from this study, which reports about rituals from inside families, are quite different from the existing literature on family ritual, which reports about ritual from outside families. An examination of the external appearance of rituals practiced by the families in this study might indicate that American family rituals are considerably homogeneous across different life cycle stages and generations. However, significant differences between clinical and non-clinical families emerge when we look beyond the external manifestations of ritual to examine the development of ritual within the nuclear family and the meanings that rituals have for the participants. Implications of these findings for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Nelson, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology

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