ADDRESSING HAZING MOTIVATIONS K I M B E R LY D A V I S
Nearly 75 percent of respondents to a 2018 study on the motivations for and impact of hazing published in Oracle: The Research Journal of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors indicated they were skeptical that hazing impacts the quality of members joining and their commitment to the organization. That data suggests today’s college student doubts the benefits of hazing within student organizations. Previous scholarly research, however, demonstrates how hazing victims perceive their experiences and rationalize persistence in organizations that mistreat them. That rationalization exists parallel to student skepticism about the impact of hazing. For student affairs practitioners and college administrators to eliminate hazing, they need to acknowledge those competing mindsets and move beyond identifying ways organizations mistreat newcomers. Educators must strive to understand the reasons why victims remain in organizations that haze rather than applying their potentially skeptical viewpoints regarding the perceived benefits of hazing within organizational processes. A start to answering that question might exist in how students understand what constitutes hazing. A review of scholarly research suggests students often misunderstand what hazing entails and maintain a belief activities are not hazing if they are voluntary and/or nobody is injured. Further, students justify continued participation and membership in organizations that haze because they underestimate the dangers of hazing, overestimate the benefits they will receive as full members, and normalize their experiences as newcomers. Hazing victims might experience psychological barriers that prevent them from recognizing they are hazing victims. Therefore, administrators and practitioners must be sensitive to the experiences of students as they seek to understand what victims have endured. Several studies identify themes educators must consider as they work with students to combat hazing. 38
