Rituals and Witchcraft
Body Ritual among the Nacirema by Horace Miner
Different cultures have various ways of looking at the human body and the manifestation of which in the community or society they live in. Some open societies do not mind having people displaying their bodies in public along with accoutrements that add beauty thereto. Other closed societies frown on display of any body parts especially with female members. The Nacirema of North America have a different way of looking at their bodies and for them, "the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease (Miner, 1956)." This is the same belief most cultures have regarding the human body -- the tendency to grow old and get sick, except for the part of being unsightly. The result of this belief by the Nacirema renders them to have various body rituals to ensure cleansing and rehabilitation or preventative measures in order to rid their bodies of diseases. They perform various rituals to ensure longevity and a healthy life. Unlike most cultures whereby ceremonies are organized and done collectively, the Nacirema do so individuality and in privacy and secrecy of home shrines or temples
The body rituals though cannot be deemed as totally secret and in private considering whilst these are done, there are vestals and/or medicine men present to assist the person in the performance of the tasks. For instance, the Nacirema have a particular obsession with the mouth since they believe that the mouth has "a supernatural influence on all social relationships (Miner, 1956)." As such, they have various body rituals that care for the mouth to ensure that this brings good fortune and better life for them. Like the common practice of most cultures today in the care of the mouth through brushing and flossing of the teeth and gargling with mouthwash, the Nacirema also have a daily mouth ritual that "consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain...
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Clinical Psychology Dissertation - Dream Content as a Therapeutic Approach: Ego Gratification vs. Repressed Feelings An Abstract of a Dissertation Dream Content as a Therapeutic Approach: Ego Gratification vs. Repressed Feelings This study sets out to determine how dreams can be used in a therapeutic environment to discuss feelings from a dream, and how the therapist should engage the patient to discuss them to reveal the relevance of those feelings, in their present,
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