In support of this theory, Turner proposed the concepts of structure and anti-structure, and liminality. He arrived at these concepts from his fieldwork on tribes in Africa.
That is, society was inherently structured, but tensions also arose among its members in trying to get along. This brought a need for anti-structure as a mechanism to relieve that tension.
To resolve conflicts between individuals within society, ritual provided anti-structure—a means by which the tensions of the status quo could be released, allowing participants in the ritual to return to society rejuvenated once more (with a new sense of purpose).
For instance, young people in tribal groups, as Turner studied in Africa, would undergo an initiation ceremony in which they would be removed from all familiar aspects of their society for a period of time. This amounted to solitary isolation, or being sequestered with other initiates from the same ritual.
British anthropologist Victor Turner updated van Gennep’s work on ritual process to explore further how ritual served to transform the participant, thereby ensuring the continuity of society.
In this theory, social conflict was transmuted into ritual as a way of resolving those tensions.
Rituals, such as rites of passage, provided a physical means for one to emerge from childhood into adulthood.