ABSTRACT
Termination is a change of status. From the author's own experiences, living over eight decades, ritual has always been accepted as a rite of passage that marks a person's transition from one status to another, including birth, coming-of-age, marriage, and death. The hunger, either conscious or unconscious, for an experience of closure at the time of separation becomes so great that group members often create some form of ritual. These may be helpful toward the group goals, or simply ease the anxiety of separation. It is possible that in the outpouring of emotion that takes place in the farewell ceremony, any unresolved issues might burst forth, leading to very painful or destructive situations. Although some practitioners feel that there is a particular value in the ritual being developed by the group itself, the author believes that these are more likely to fall short of the desired goals.
