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A social-cultural model of rituals: Effects of collective traumas and psychosocial processes of coping concerning march 11 demonstrations

Abstract:

A social functionalist framework of collective activities of remembering, including social sharing and participation in ceremonies and rituals, is exposed, based on Durkheim classical text “The Elementary forms of Religious Life”. Collective coping with emotional episodes is functional because it reinforces self-esteem and positive affect, fosters interpersonal social integration, supports social cohesion, and reinforces positive shared beliefs about society, by increasing shared emotionality and perception of similarity and convergence with beliefs and feelings of others. This text synthesizes studies confirming the neo-Durkheimian model: a higher level of participation in demonstrations one week after M-11 pbkp_redicts a higher level of subjective social support, less loneliness, higher positive affect, and more positive self-concept three weeks after March-Eleven, confirming that rituals reinforce social integration at an interpersonal level. Results also support that rituals help to construct positive social beliefs: participation in demonstrations pbkp_redicts higher agreement with psychological, interpersonal and social benefits of traumatic reaction three weeks later. Furthermore, higher levels of participation in demonstrations pbkp_redict higher perceived similarity with others and a more positively perceived emotional and social climate two months after the attacks, confirming that rituals reinforce social cohesion. © 2005 by Fundación Infancia y Aprendizaje.