Mythical and religious belief systems in a social context can be regarded as a conglomeration of sacrosanct rites which revolve around substantive values that involve an element of faith. Moreover, we can conclude that ideologies, myths and beliefs can all be analyzed in terms of systems within a cultural context. The significance of being able to define ideologies, myths and beliefs as systems...

While males in many societies endure traumatic and painful rites, in other societies male rites are mild or completely absent. To explain these cross-cultural differences, we use data collected from the Human Relations Area Files electronic databases (eHRAF) to test two sets of hypotheses derived from signaling theory. If costly male rites serve to signal mate quality, they would be expected to...

INTRODUCTION Termination of pregnancy is a popular option for pregnancies complicated by lethal congenital malformations (LCMs). In Sri Lanka, where abortion laws are restrictive, this is not available. We studied the psychological responses and coping strategies of women who had to continue their pregnancies knowing the baby had a LCM. SETTING A teaching hospital in Sri Lanka. STUDY DESIGN...

Some religious rites of Hajj (the obligatory pilgrimage that many Muslims make to Mecca) cannot be performed during menstruation, so women may wish to suppress their menses. Eliminating monthly periods could further improve the quality of women’s lives, reducing both physical pain and mood swings that can be disruptive or debilitating, to say nothing of the inconvenience and cost of managing mo...

"Soul surfers" consider surfing to be a profoundly meaningful practice that brings physical, psychological, and spiritual benefits. They generally agree on where surfing initially developed, that it assumed a religious character, was suppressed for religious reasons, has been undergoing a revival, and enjoins reverence for and protection of nature. This subset of the global surfing community sh...