Destructive Relational Rituals

Abstract

From the perspective of relating, this book has so far studied constructive rituals, i.e. in-group ritual practices that positively contribute to the formation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships. The present chapter will further elaborate upon the theory of relational rituals by exploring destructive relational ritual acts. This is a relatively unexplored area: the anthropological literature to date — as well as areas that rely on anthropological literature when it comes to rituals such as linguistics — seems to have enduring interest in the constructive aspect of ritual behaviour, and destructive ritual practices have been left behind. As the references in this chapter will indicate, it is mainly educational studies and child psychology where such ritual acts are studied, but in these fields the ritual element of these relational practices usually remains unmentioned. Therefore, the exploration of destructive rituals fills a knowledge gap in the field.