This article discusses two different explanations of male initiation ceremonies. Evidence is also presented that suggests that psychological conflict might strongly predict male initiation in the presence of the following catalysts: nonmatrilocal residence, nonstate political organization, and warfare.

This article discusses two different explanations of male initiation ceremonies. Evidence is also presented that suggests that psychological conflict might strongly predict male initiation in the presence of the following catalysts: nonmatrilocal residence, nonstate political organization, and warfare.

This article discusses initiation rites for girls. Specifically explored are the reasons why the ceremonies are observed in some societies and omitted in others and what the variations between societies demonstrates.

Textor summarizes cross-cultural findings on adolescence gender separation pertaining to cultural, environmental, psychological, and social phenomena.

This article explores narcissism and child-rearing. The author presents a theory that, if a society’s structural pattern weakens the marital bond, the mother will be ambivalent toward the son who consequently will become narcissistic. This process would reinforce itself as it is repeated by each generation.

This article uses factor analysis to identify the key variables underlying the many cross-cultural associations reported by Textor (1967). Twelve factors are identified.

This study explores why initiation rites for girls are observed in some societies and absent in others. Further, the author seeks to understand cross-cultural variation in the rites.

This book investigates a broad hypothesis linking social solidarity and initiation ceremonies. The author proposes that “the degree of solidarity of a given social system determines the degree to which status transitions within it will be dramatized” (1). A variety of operational hypotheses are supported for both male and female initiation ceremonies.

Building on comparative study of the Mormons, Texans, and Zuni in the Rimrock area of Southwestern U.S., the authors cross-cultural test some hypotheses cross-culturally.