Early childhood precursors of adolescent initiation ceremonies

Ethos Vol/Iss. 8 Published In Pages: 132-145
By Barry III, Herbert, Schlegel, Alice

Hypothesis

Societies in which social solidarity (low emphasis on obedience and low frequency of teasing) and sex differentiation are present in early childhood will be associated with the occurrence of initiation ceremonies (136, 138).

Note

Societies where an adolescent initiation ceremony is present have a lower mean emphasis on obedience (t=2.27, df=156, p<.05 for girls) and lower mean frequency of teasing (t=2.71, df=98, p<.01 for boys). The differences that are not statistically significant (obedience for boys, teasing for girls) show trends in the same direction.

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Chi squarePartially supportedUNKNOWNUNKNOWNUNKNOWN