By Benjamin Davis / The Jambar
College fraternities — you know them, you love them or maybe you don’t, like me. Heck, you might even be in one. And if that’s the case, no offense. They practically go hand in hand with higher education in the U.S.
Fraternities provide some pretty neat benefits, whether it be a sense of community, opportunities for its pledges or charitable work. But along with that, there is the dark underbelly of hazing that’s become an unfortunate part of it.
Just recently on Feb. 19, police body camera footage went public from a hazing incident at the University of Iowa in 2024. During this unfortunate bit of business, campus police responded to a fire alarm at Alpha Delta Phi’s chapter house. Those coppers didn’t find any fire, but they did find over 50 blindfolded and shirtless pledges huddled together in the corner of a dark, musty room. I’ll spare you kids all the gory details. You can look that up on your own.
It was after a coworker told me about this that got me thinking, “What’s the reason behind hazing anyhow, psychologically speaking?” So, gather around children, because I’m looking to get a peak under the hood of hazing and learn a thing or two.
According to research put together by the fine folks at Elon University, there’s several theories that aim to explain the psychology of hazing. There’s a bit too many for little old me to cover all of them here, but I do have some personal favorites lined up.
One theory proposes that hazing comes from certain beliefs about masculinity. These beliefs center on what it means to be a “real man,” with a focus on toughness and the value of force. This is often coupled with a desire from some men to show that they don’t have “weaker” qualities such as emotional vulnerability.
Under this theory, hazing can come from a belief to “toughen up” new members, or a desire from new members to show that they’re “tough enough” to be a part of the group.
Another theory suggests that hazing comes from a desire to foster shared coping among members. Basically, when people go through something very stressful together, they might grow closer to each other as a result. Soldiers, for example, may become life-long friends after surviving a battle together.
The shared coping theory suggests that those who perpetrate hazing do so to foster a sense of group unity or stronger bonds. Call me old fashioned, but I think grabbing lunch or playing video games together might be a safer option.
The final theory that I noticed was one that centered on a need for self-esteem. A person’s self-esteem can be reinforced by accomplishment or acceptance from others. Surviving grueling hazing rituals can contribute to some perverted sense of accomplishment on the part of the new member or gain a screwed up sense of acceptance from the group. Both can boost self-esteem, albeit in a toxic way.
This could also boost the self-esteem of the person doing the hazing because they’re maintaining the status of their group, which they identify with, by “weeding out the weak.”
Again, these were just the big three that managed to win my illustrious attention. If you’re an especially curious cat, Elon University’s research can be found online for all the world to see.
As fascinating as the psychology behind hazing is, it should go without saying that none of this justifies hazing in any form. The fact that college hazing has deaths attributed to it should be evident enough of that. Who knows, maybe by knowing the psychological roots of hazing, both students and institutions can be better prepared to prevent it all together.