Hazing Scholarship: Hanknuwer.com
The latest in reputable hazing research with links to purchase or obtain from library. Links to
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Sponsored by Hank Nuwer, founder of the Buffalo State College Hazing Collection and author of The Hazing Reader
(Indiana University Press).
1) On line: The pledging experiences of members of Black Greek-Lettered organizations from 1970 to 1990
by Jenkins, Antonio Dewan, Ed.D., THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS, 2010, 133 pages; 3448255
Abstract:
In 1990, the leadership of the Black Greek-Lettered organizations that
comprise the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) agreed to ban
pledging as the official member entry process for new members. For 20
years (1990-2010), each organization has developed and used a
membership intake process (MIP) to replace pledging in order to prevent
hazing and injury to prospective members. Studies on membership entry
into these organizations have focused mainly on fraternities during the
MIP era (1990-2010) and the persistence of hazing during their process.
This study explored the experiences of men and women who joined BGLOs
prior to the 1990 ban on pledging among the organizations. This study
adds to the body of research on BGLOs, specifically the experiences of
members joining when pledging was the official process of membership
entry.
This study used the theoretical framework of Critical Race Theory as
well as Black Feminist Theory and student development theory to explore
the broad range of African American men and women experiences in
pledging Black Greek-Lettered fraternities or sororities.
The qualitative framework of phenomenology provides the appropriate
methods for participants to share information, which is a part of the
organizational history and culture of BGLOs.
Several themes arose from the members overall pledging experience.
Members were introduced to BGLOs in multiple ways. Members either
celebrated crossing the burning sands or had some type of controversy.
Members created varied relationships with line big brothers and
sisters, others outside the organizations, and their own line members.
Members defined the differences between pledging and hazing. In
addition, members shared perspectives on how the national
organizations, specifically the leaders of the organizations, can
improve the future direction of BGLOs in membership entry and combating
hazing.
2) Nearly
3/4ths of athletes in Nebraska study say they were hazed: Athletic
hazing in the Nebraska State College System: An introductory
investigation
by Geisert, Cameron M., Ed.D., UNITED STATES SPORTS ACADEMY, 2010, 173 pages; 3437618
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of hazing in
athletics among the three institutions that comprise the Nebraska State
College System. Student-athletes were asked to respond to a web-based
survey composed of numerous hazing-related questions and all
participants were from athletic teams competing for one of the three
institutions in the Nebraska State College System. Overall, 73.8%
(n=262) of the student-athletes indicated that they had been hazed or
had been hazed and then hazed another teammate at one time. A total of
62.8% (n=223) of the student-athletes indicated that they had been
subjected to mental hazing while 54.6% (n=194) reported that they had
been subjected to alcohol-related hazing in some form. Furthermore, a
majority of student-athletes indicated that they perceived athletic
hazing to be at least a small problem on their campuses or in
intercollegiate athletics overall, yet also noted that they were
unaware of what current anti-hazing policies their institutions had.
Chi-square analysis brought to light that within the Nebraska State
College System there is a significant difference between the hazing
rates of male and female student-athletes as well as those
student-athletes that have a male and female head coach, the number of
years a student-athlete has been on his or her team, and those that
attend an institution that sponsors initiation practices for first-year
student-athletes and those that do not. Results from this study also
showed that student-athletes suffered varied consequences as a result
of being hazed and encountered both positive and negative feelings as
well.
This study brought to light that athletic hazing is indeed occurring
within the Nebraska State College System. The mere fact that seven out
of every ten student-athletes competing for one of the three
institutions comprising the Nebraska State College System illustrates
that athletic hazing is a part of the athletic culture within these
institutions. The prevalence of athletic hazing combined with many of
the student-athlete perceptions revealed in the study shows that the
Nebraska State College System and the three individual institutions
that make it up are in a vicarious position in regards to hazing in
terms of potential legal and image ramifications now and in the future.
Advisor: Cromartie, Fred J.
School: UNITED STATES SPORTS ACADEMY
Source: DAI-A 72/01, p. , Jul 2011
Source Type: Ed.D.
Subjects: Sports Management
Publication Number: 3437618
3) Hazing studied by Manitoba researcher: The cycle of abuse in sport hazing: Is it simply a case of boys being boys?
by Abdulrehman, Rehman Y., Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA , 2007, 99 pages; NR26266
Abstract:
Research and a model of sexual aggression indicate a possible cycle of
abuse whereby males who were victims of child sexual abuse may be at
risk of abusing others (Abdulrehman & De Luca, 2001; Malamuth,
Sockloskie, Koss, & Tanaka, 1991). Given that many hazing
incidences are reported to include sexual abuse (Abdulrehman & De
Luca, 2000; Robinson, 1998), along with the fact that sexual aggression
is common amongst athletes (Brackenridge, 2003; Smith & Stewart,
2003), this study aimed to empirically explore associations among these
factors and other issues related to hazing. Responses from a sample of
male introductory psychology students from the University of Manitoba
were categorized into those who had experienced forms of abusive hazing
and those who had not experienced forms of abusive hazing. Findings
indicated that abuse (emotional, physical, and sexual) was present in
hazing approximately half of all hazing instances. The groups responses
to Fischer's Forcible Date Rape Scale (1986), which measured tolerances
toward sexual aggression, were then compared. The predicted associative
link between sexually abusive hazing practices and tolerance toward
sexual aggression was not as strong as expected. Alternative
explanations for this counter-intuitive finding are explored.
Participants of hazing were more likely to view their experiences as
neutral or positive, as opposed to negative. Theoretical hypotheses of
cognitive distortions and the influence of context and gender are
discussed.
4) Download a study on tests required of newcomers in groups.
Exploring the Evolved Concept of NEWCOMER: Experimental Tests of a Cognitive Model
Andrew W. Delton, Center for Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.
Aldo Cimino, Center for Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.
Abstract: Enduring human coalitions face the adaptive problem of
integrating new members. Although newcomers can provide benefits (e.g.,
additional labor), newcomers can also create costs (e.g., by free
riding). Due to the unique adaptive problems they pose, we hypothesize
that the mind contains an evolved concept of NEWCOMER. We test the
design of this concept experimentally and show that the activation of
the NEWCOMER concept elicits a variety of anti-free rider responses
(e.g., a decrease in trust) with adaptively-targeted exceptions (e.g.,
a minimal increase in exclusion sentiment). These results support the
hypothesis that the mind contains specialized concepts for
understanding, creating, and sustaining intergenerational coalitions
5) Pace University researcher studies negative group behaviors such as hazing.
Need for Belonging and Attachment Style in Relation To College Students' Participation in Negative Group Initiation Practices
Heather Canepa, Pace University
Abstract
Numerous stories have emerged in the media related to the participation
of adolescents and young adults in hazing activities as a requirement
for initiation into groups. Although group dynamics have been
identified as playing a role in engagement of these activities, minimal
quantitative and research based information has been completed
investigating individual factors that relate to participation. This
study examined the relationship between specific individual factors of
belongingness, attachment, and discomfort in participation in both
acceptable and unacceptable group initiation practices. Possible
predictors of engaging in unacceptable behaviors were also
investigated. Furthermore, unacceptable practices were delineated into
categories of humiliating activities, dangerous/illegal activities, and
activities involving substance use based on previous research findings.
The final sample consisted of 268 college students from a Mid-Atlantic
urban university. Participants completed a packet of 4 surveys and
scales, which included a modified hazing survey, the Selfobject Needs
Inventory (SONI), the Social Connectedness and Assurance Scales, and
the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECRS). Results were mixed
in regards to the relationships for belongingness and attachment needs
on participation in group initiation activities. The Need for Mirroring
was positively associated with participation activities. Higher levels
of social connectedness were related to higher levels of participation
in acceptable practices and lower participation in dangerous hazing,
while lower levels of social assurance were significantly related to
higher levels of participation in all negative activities. Higher
levels of anxious attachment were associated with higher levels of
participation in humiliating and dangerous hazing practices. Age and
gender were found to be associated with certain types of group
initiation practices. Social assurance was the only variable found to
be a significant predictor of engaging in 4 out of the 5 types of
participation (overall participation, acceptable, humiliating, and
dangerous). Social connectedness was also found to be a significant
unique predictor of participation in acceptable practices, only. Higher
levels of discomfort were associated with all types of group initiation
activities. Lastly, belongingness factors did not moderate the
relationship between discomfort and participation in group initiation
practices, although significant associations were found between
factors. Limitations and implications of findings on the field of
school-clinical child psychology were also explored.
6) Defining High School Hazing: A Study available online
247035393
Full Text:
Abstract
The purpose oft his study was to investigate the extent of hazing that
had existed in former high school athletes who were enrolled in
introduction to coaching classes in a Northern Rocky Mountain state. A
nationally accepted survey was given to 189 college students of whom
the majority had participated in high school sports. Results were
interpreted to determine the extent these students had been hazed in
their athletic careers and specifically what those behaviors were.
Implications were made for future definition and clarification of
hazing to ensure proper enforcement and elimination of all negative
behaviors.
In the fall of 2007, a parent anonymously accused a respected and
highly successful high school coach of physically and verbally abusing
his athletes. As a result of him being abruptly accused and relieved of
his duties, his former and current players and the community came to
his defense. It had been determined that his 'physical and verbal
abuse' was a team rule that his players would not consume soft drinks
and not wear hats in class during the season. It was also determined
that the 'anonymous' complaint had been filed by a parent whose son was
not getting playing time.
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The need to belong is a strong human trait that motivates individuals
in many ways. Major names in psychology such as Freud (1930) and Maslow
(1968) have presented their views on that essential human
characteristic (as cited in Baumeister and Leary, 1995). In those early
works the desire to belong was second only to drives like safety,
hunger and reproduction. According to Baumeister, Brewer, Tice and
Twenge (2007) human behavior is often heavily influenced by the need
for membership in a social or cultural group and the threat of
exclusion can manifest itself in strong behavioral reactions. These
behavioral reactions are frequently discernable in groups of all ages
that will either perpetuate or participate in initiation rites that are
prerequisites to group membership. Keating, et al. (2005) stated that
threatening practices such as hazing sustain and preserve groups by
reinforcing collective skills and attitudes, supporting a group
hierarchy, and developing a social dependency among members. In some
cases these authors found that the more severe the ritual the greater
the association between the victim and the group. It did not matter if
the hazing were physical, mental, or emotional abuse.
7) Defining high school hazing: control through clarity. Source Physical Educator
December 22, 2010 | Tokar, Krzysztof; Stewart, Craig | Copyright
Abstract
The purpose oft his study was to investigate the extent of hazing that
had existed in former high school athletes who were enrolled in
introduction to coaching classes in a Northern Rocky Mountain state. A
nationally accepted survey was given to 189 college students of whom
the majority had participated in high school sports. Results were
interpreted to determine the extent these students had been hazed in
their athletic careers and specifically what those behaviors were.
Implications were made for future definition and clarification of
hazing to ensure proper enforcement and elimination of all negative
behaviors.
8) New study by veteran hazing researcher Jay Johnson. Read the PDF
LInk: Across the Threshold: A Comparative Analysis of Communitas and Rites of Passage in Sport Hazing and Initiations
Jay Johnson (click PDF at bottom when you get to the page).
Abstract
Hazing rituals and ceremonies have been described in traditional,
historical world cultures, junior and high school, the military,
private schools, paramilitary organizations, fraternities and
sororities as well as sport (Allan and Madden, 2008; Bryshun and Young,
1999; Campos, Poulos and Sipple, 2005; Fields, Collins, and Comstock,
2010; Linhares de Albuquerque and Paes-Machado 2004; Nuwer 1999;
Winslow 1999; Zacharda 2009).
Despite the often humiliating and abusive nature of hazing practices
the hazing ritual is often perceived to be a necessary stepping stone
in the movement from outsider to insider. Student-athletes often endure
hazing practices with 80% of NCAA athletes having reported being
initiated in some way (Hoover 1999) in exchange for membership
affiliation.
This paper uses Van Gennep’s three stage model (1960) of
transition as basis of comparison and deviation between contemporary
initiations and historical traditions defining both the importance of
cultures to establish “Rites of Passage” membership
gateways and metamorphous from non-member to group member (irrespective
of potential harm frequently inherent in sport initiations).