This article works with theory of ritual in order to begin addressing a series of questions raised by Brazilian spirit possession rituals (in Kardecism and Umbanda). Four contributions to theory of ritual highlight relevant conceptual issues: Humphrey and Laidlaw on non-intentionality; Bloch on deference; Houseman and Severi on social relations; and Kapferer on virtuality. Strawson’s philosophi...

the expressions of “esoteric” and “esotericism” have a wide range of meanings, however, they specifically apply to religious, mystical, and philosophical secret schools. in ancient greek world, i.e. before the hellenistic era, we come across some currents with esoteric tendencies. the various texts from this period show that the ancient greeks sought the source of the esoteric currents outside ...

introduction: the theory of value of children refers to the needs which children provide for their parents. considering the close relationship between the value orientation of people with the decisions in organizing life and forming a family, including having children, and according to decreased fertility rate in iran, the present study was performed with aim of intergenerational comparison of ...

the present writing has been an investigation of the students’ view related to the opposite sex and the role of “self recognition” and “relationship with family” in this regard. this research is a qualitative one done through an interview with 30 students of shahid beheshti university (12 males and 18 females). the result of findings shows that in regard with the relationship with the opposite ...

The social construction of identity and memory can be expressed through public ritual. The organization of mortuary practices, the repetitive use of imagery and figurines, and the long-term reuse of human skulls in the near Eastern Neolithic illustrate how household ritual linked the living to the dead. Secondary mortuary practices and the plastering and painting of human skulls as ritual heirl...

Anthropologists have long noted that one of the primary functions of religion is to promote group solidarity, and most have recognized ritual as the mechanism through which this solidarity is achieved. Guided by Durkheim (1995 [1912]), who was among the first to appreciate the unifying nature of religious ritual, functionalists have explored how ritual sustains the social order within a communi...

Objective. There is mounting evidence that more elaborate treatment rituals trigger larger nonspecific effects. The reasons for this remain unclear. In a pilot field study, we investigated the role of psychophysiological changes during a touch-based healing ritual for improvements in subjective well-being. Methods. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin conductance levels (SCL) were continuousl...

Article history: Received 13 December 2012 Received in revised form 11 October 2013 Accepted 11 October 2013 Available online 4 November 2013 While a large body of research has examined the outcomes of emotional intelligence, relatively little is known about the antecedents of emotional intelligence. Prior research suggests that emotional intelligence has different effects on management outcome...