Rock & Roll Shrink Ep. 123 - Games People Play The Psychology of Social Rituals

Although they may differ slightly on a variety of factors, including age, location, gender, status, race, income, culture, and other influencing factors, most if not all of us have been enrolled in at least a few social rituals, from the coffee or cigarette break to clubs and gangs, to workout buddies, to business on the golf course, or others.
We like the simplicity of knowing basic things about the people around us, and how we are being perceived in return. Who is our friend or enemy? Who is safe or who means us harm? Who is the proverbial “one of us?” It is exhausting to always be on so much guard, and the more of that we can make unnecessary, the less stressed out we are.

Tonight, we’d like to talk about social rituals, why they are so ubiquitous, and their role in our society and culture.
Tonight, we will discuss:

1.    What are Rituals, and what are Social Rituals, in specific?
2.    What are the differences between social rituals, manners, and etiquette?
3.    What purpose do social rituals provide for us, psychologically?
4.    How can we use our knowledge of social ritual to navigate better, socially?

We'll start off the evening with some topic-relevant Classic Rock played by Dr. Mathis, followed by Classic Rock trivia in "The Rock & Roll Shrink Recalls," followed by our topic discussion.