puberty rite

the initiation into adult life of a pubescent member of a community through ceremonies, cultural-lore indoctrination, and similar customs. For young men in traditional societies, this may involve a physical and psychological ordeal in which they experience pain, hardship, and fear. For young women in traditional cultures, this rite often involves seclusion, spiritual activities, and special ceremonies. See rite of passage.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

February 25th 2025

confluence model

a controversial theory that intelligence of siblings is correlated with family size. According to this model, average intelligence generally declines as the number of children in a family increases. Intelligence is also held to decline with birth order. The one exception is an only child, whose intelligence suffers because he or she does not have an older sibling to serve as a teacher. However, many variables (e.g., spacing of children) could affect and reverse such generalizations. [proposed in 1975 by Robert B. Zajonc and Greg Markus]