Glossary // Glossary term Empirical

Mourning ritual

A structured, often repeated sequence of actions performed after a loss, ranging from shared ceremonies such as funerals to small private acts. In experiments, recalling or performing rituals after a loss was followed by lower self-reported grief, mediated by a sense of control. In a field study, bereaved people valued funerals and rituals, but these were not associated with later grief reactions.

Where the site uses it

Grief and mourning rituals: what rituals do, and where grief becomes a clinical question
Most bereaved people adapt without professional help, and rituals after a loss were followed by lower grief in experiments. This note reviews rituals, continuing bonds and the dual process model, and marks the clinical boundary of prolonged grief.
Mark a loss with a ritual that gives structure, not pressure to express
Rituals after a loss were followed by lower grief in experiments, apparently by restoring a sense of control. How to use a simple ritual, why grief need not be forced out, and when grief warrants professional help.

Studies behind it

The works the definition rests on, with the level of evidence each was appraised at.

Norton, M. I., & Gino, F. (2014). Rituals alleviate grieving for loved ones, lovers, and lotteries. doi:10.1037/a0031772

Level B Experiment

Supports the claim that recalling past rituals or completing novel rituals after a loss was followed by lower self-reported grief, mediated by feelings of control, including in people who did not believe in rituals. Short-term self-report after mostly minor or recalled losses; it does not test outcomes over months after bereavement.
Mitima-Verloop, H. B., Mooren, T. T. M., & Boelen, P. A. (2021). Facilitating grief: An exploration of the function of funerals and rituals in relation to grief reactions. doi:10.1080/07481187.2019.1686090

Level C Longitudinal study

Supports the claim that funerals and grief rituals were rated as helpful but that neither the evaluation of the funeral nor the use of rituals was significantly associated with grief reactions. One country, self-selected questionnaire sample, attrition between waves.
Hobson, N. M., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Xygalatas, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2018). The psychology of rituals: An integrative review and process-based framework. doi:10.1177/1088868317734944

Level D Review

Supports the conceptual claim that rituals have been proposed to regulate emotions, performance goal states and social connection through bottom-up and top-down processes. A framework that generates predictions, not a test of them.