{"id":{"repo_id":"uconn-diss","oai_identifier":"oai:digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu:gs_theses-1042"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uconn-diss/oai:digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu:gs_theses-1042","repository":{"repo_id":"uconn-diss","name":"University of Connecticut","base_url":"https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Kickin' it with God: Clerical Behavior, Denominational Meaning, and the Expression of Emotion in Ritual","abstract":"In the contemporary West, religious worship is very much a collective, guided phenomenon. Based upon interviews and participant observation in Catholic, Congregationalist, and Evangelical services, this paper examines congregant emotional displays influenced via micro behavioral techniques utilized by church officials versus macro denominational meanings during religious ceremony. In particular, the argument is made that while performance acts used by church officials do have some impact upon the emotional expression of the congregation, it is the shared meanings expressed through the denominational tradition that exercise a significant influence upon emotional displays in rituals. Therefore, while ritual is guided, it is more through church culture than the “feeling tools” utilized by clergy.","abstract_html":"In the contemporary West, religious worship is very much a collective, guided phenomenon. Based upon interviews and participant observation in Catholic, Congregationalist, and Evangelical services, this paper examines congregant emotional displays influenced via micro behavioral techniques utilized by church officials versus macro denominational meanings during religious ceremony. In particular, the argument is made that while performance acts used by church officials do have some impact upon the emotional expression of the congregation, it is the shared meanings expressed through the denominational tradition that exercise a significant influence upon emotional displays in rituals. Therefore, while ritual is guided, it is more through church culture than the “feeling tools” utilized by clergy.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Donnelly, Christopher M"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Sociology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bradley R.E. Wright; Claudio E. Benzecry","Clinton R. Sanders"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-01-28T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-01-28T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:31:35Z","subjects":["Religious Ritual","Emotion","Social Control"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/gs_theses/28","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Bradley R.E. Wright; Claudio E. Benzecry","Clinton R. 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Based upon interviews and participant observation in Catholic, Congregationalist, and Evangelical services, this paper examines congregant emotional displays influenced via micro behavioral techniques utilized by church officials versus macro denominational meanings during religious ceremony. In particular, the argument is made that while performance acts used by church officials do have some impact upon the emotional expression of the congregation, it is the shared meanings expressed through the denominational tradition that exercise a significant influence upon emotional displays in rituals. Therefore, while ritual is guided, it is more through church culture than the “feeling tools” utilized by clergy."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Kickin' it with God: Clerical Behavior, Denominational Meaning, and the Expression of Emotion in Ritual"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Bradley R.E. Wright; Claudio E. Benzecry","Clinton R. Sanders"],"dc:creator":["Donnelly, Christopher M"],"dc:date.available":["2011-01-20T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In the contemporary West, religious worship is very much a collective, guided phenomenon. Based upon interviews and participant observation in Catholic, Congregationalist, and Evangelical services, this paper examines congregant emotional displays influenced via micro behavioral techniques utilized by church officials versus macro denominational meanings during religious ceremony. In particular, the argument is made that while performance acts used by church officials do have some impact upon the emotional expression of the congregation, it is the shared meanings expressed through the denominational tradition that exercise a significant influence upon emotional displays in rituals. Therefore, while ritual is guided, it is more through church culture than the “feeling tools” utilized by clergy."],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/gs_theses/28"],"dc:subject":["Religious Ritual","Emotion","Social Control"],"dc:title":["Kickin' it with God: Clerical Behavior, Denominational Meaning, and the Expression of Emotion in Ritual"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Sociology"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:31:35Z"}