ABSTRACT
Family rituals are universal and spontaneous events carried out by families worldwide. The meaning associated with family rituals can greatly benefit individuals and families. A robust body of research, coupled with ongoing theoretical developments, has paved the way for family rituals to become a well-established construct within family science. I revisit past theoretical core contributions and suggest a new, mid-range theoretical model of family rituals, grounded in family systems theory. This model identifies security and identity as building blocks for creating meaningful family rituals and as general processes through which the meaning of these events is associated with health and well-being outcomes at three different systemic levels. Family cohesion, perceived relational efficacy, and sense of belonging are conceptualized as three additional specific processes that connect the meaning of family rituals to improved outcomes for families, couples/parents, and individuals. In conclusion, I reflect upon the model’s potential contributions for advancing further theory and research.