Hazing Hazard

Hazing is the practice of rituals, challenges, and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation. It is used as a way of initiating a person into a group, including a new fraternity, sorority, team, or club.

A comprehensive study on hazing conducted by the University of Maine in 2008 shows that more than half of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing. Nearly half (47%) of students have experienced hazing prior to coming to college. Alcohol consumption, humiliation, isolation, sleep deprivation, and sex acts are hazing practices common across student groups.

Despite laws and punishments in place, hazing remains a continued practice worldwide. Some still view hazing as an effective way to teach respect and develop discipline and loyalty within the group. They believe that hazing is a necessary component of fitting into a group. This realm of psychological and sociological thinking needs to be addressed. People need to be educated to lessen and eliminate the practice of hazing.

Due to the long acceptance of hazing, and the secretive nature of its activities, particularly within college fraternities and sororities, it remains very difficult for researchers to fully uncover the social or psychological mechanisms that perpetuate hazing. Hazing continues to cost lives and cause serious injuries on campuses and training camps. However, it remains deeply embedded in our social contexts, and is therefore hard to eliminate.