liferitual

Liferitual is a term used to describe enduring personal rituals that persist across a person’s life, shaping habits, identity, and daily experience. In scholarly and popular discourse, liferituals are seen as practices whose meaning grows through repetition, timing, and personal significance rather than mere efficiency.

The term blends life and ritual and is not yet standardized in formal taxonomy. It is employed in psychology, anthropology, and cultural studies to discuss how long-lasting practices anchor a sense of self and provide stability during life transitions.

Common features include regular repetition, deliberate intention, and symbolic value. Lifertuals can be daily (a morning coffee sequence), weekly (family meals), or seasonal (an annual retreat). They are frequently embedded in social contexts and can adapt to life events such as parenthood, career changes, or aging.

Impact and debate: proponents contend liferituals foster resilience, continuity, and meaning, while critics warn of rigidity, exclusion, or resistance to change if rituals become dogmatic. Researchers face challenges in defining boundaries and measuring subjective significance.

See also rites of passage, routine, habit, ritual, and meaning-making.