However all societies have both rites of passage and rites of intensification. These kinds of ritual are used both for religious and secular concerns. Of these, the second stage is, perhaps, the most interesting. They publicly recognize change in a person's status the altered rites and responsibilities that go with such a change. Almost societies have rites of passage that include at least birth, marriage, and death.
Rites of initiation tend to be marked by exceptionally rigorous activity.
This frequently includes a variety of forms of torture. Such rites are particularly rigorous in groups where survival depends substantially on group effort. Rites of intensification reinforce group identity as well as promoting the values and norms of the group. They also may occur at times of group crisis. Modern societies find a great many uses for rites of intensification.