week 3 Flashcards
Social factors which affect American funeral rites
- Economic
- Social stratification
- geographic
- family structure
- religion
- government
- education level
- Ethnicity
- other?
Categorization of people by money, prestige and power; a ranking of social status (position) in groups such as upper, middle and lower class
- Funeral rite may represent a status symbol
- those on lower social stratification experience the highest frequency of premature death
social stratification
- Area in which a family lives will affect the conduct of the funeral rite
- neo-localism
Geographic
the tendency of off-spring to move away from the area in which they were born
neo-localism
- significant changes in funeralization during the twentieth century as a result of change
- location of funeral rite and preparation of the body; increasing the presence and utilization of funeral homes
- changes in direct involvement by family and friends
- Increased responsibility placed on funeral director
- -need for increased knowledge in social sciences and counseling ability
Changes in American funeral rites
- the casket represents a smaller portion of the total expense
- increase in charges for services rendered by the funeral director
cost of funeral no longer focused upon the price of the casket; changes in American funeral rites
- burial greater distance from home
- selection of funeral home no longer influenced as much by its proximity to the family home, as long as it can be reached easily by car; families will travel longer distances for better service and/or facility
influence of the automobile; changes in American funeral rites
- transportation of human remains over long distances in short periods of time
- facilitates return to Neo-local family members to traditional family burial grounds
- family member able to attend funeral rites of relatives in other areas
influence of the airplane; changes in American funeral rites
- transition from “church yard” cemeteries to “memorial park” type cemeteries
- Increase in ; cremation, body donation, entombment, direct burial, comumbariums
influence of disposition ; changes in American funeral rites
defined as reducing the body to its natural element by intense heat (natural element is bone fragment)
cremation
niches that hold urns of the cremated dead
columbarium
- traditional funeral rites
- adaptive funeral rite
- humanistic funeral rite
- immediate disposition
- primitive funeral rite
influence of organized religions ; changes in American funeral rites
a funeral rite that follows a prescribed ritual or ceremony which may be dictated either by religious belief or social custom
traditional funeral rite
a funeral rite that is adjusted to the needs and wants of those directly involved; one which has been altered to suit the trends of the time
adaptive funeral rite
without any religious connotation
humanistic funeral rite
