Explaining Male Initiation Ceremonies: New Cross-Cultural Tests and a Catalytic Model

This cross-cultural study compares two different explanations of male initiation ceremonies: John Whiting and colleagues’ theory that initiation rites function to resolve psychological conflict and Melvin Ember’s theory that male initiation ceremonies provide basic army training in nonstate societies. Although bivariate results suggest support for John Whiting’s, but not Ember’s, theory, a reconsideration of Beatrice Whiting’s theorizing about the importance of cultural setting suggested to the authors that psychological conflict might more strongly predict male initiation in the presence of the following catalysts: nonmatrilocal residence, nonstate political organization, and warfare. The ability to predict male initiation ceremonies is strikingly improved when these catalysts are considered.