Some of you may see the word “ritual” and think of religious ceremonies (e.g., a Catholic Mass) or significant rites of passage (e.g., high school graduation). These are rituals, of course, but the focus of my blog is on the importance of rituals within families. According to Wolin and Bennett (1984), a family ritual can be defined as a repetitive patterned interaction practiced by families in various settings. Wolin and Bennett identified three types of family rituals: celebrations, traditions, and patterned family interactions. For example, family members may get together to celebrate a special event like a graduation or a wedding. Family traditions may include taking vacations to specific destinations, watching family videos together each week, singing the “Happy Birthday” song at every birthday, or having monthly father-daughter dinners. Establishing consistent rituals associated with dinner or bedtime is an example of patterned family interactions.
Family rituals serve various functions. One such function is that rituals maintain meaningful interaction and contact among those who participate in them (Fiese et al., 2002). Meanings of rituals are shared and well known by individuals bonded together in the family’s unique microculture. Family rituals also are a symbolic form of communication, expressing family identity and defining the boundaries of the family unit (Wolin & Bennett, 1984), such as a shared understanding of expected behavior.
I chose to emphasize family rituals in my master’s project as a way to build family strengths specifically in the families of emerging adults. My own experience has taught me that participating in special family rituals can evoke various positive feelings, bring family members closer together, and improve the overall emotional health of the family, even in emerging adulthood. This project, my blog, is a chance for me to share specific family rituals intended to help other emerging adults build their families’ strengths.
Im so glad that this is posted. My family doesnt really have a HUGE family traditions that's something to really brag about and always look forward to. Our patterned family interactions is more of a "go with the flow" and isn't really planned months or years in advance. Like most families when it comes to holidays, everyone always go to grandma's house for a big dinner. But even though now I just look at it as a patterned interaction, back when I was younger, I saw this as a HUGE tradition or celebration because I had 2 grandmothers! So 2 grandmothers meant 2 big meals and treats from both sides. This was something that happened on any occasion, even if it was just a visit. That's why I wouldnt really call it a family tradition because this was somethingn that happened all the time. Not just once a month or on holidays.
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