An Empirical Analysis of Fraternity and Sorority Individual‐Environmental Interactions With Alcohol

Abstract

Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze fraternity and sorority individual‐environmental interactions for 3,756 Greek undergraduate students at a large public university. Alcohol expectancies were measured with items used to assess the degree to which people believe alcohol has positive effects. For sorority students, expectancies were negatively related to chapter culture emphasizing service and civic responsibility. Expectancies were positively associated with chapter culture emphasizing glorification of alcohol use in both fraternity and sorority chapters. Among sorority students, consumption was predicted by group‐level service orientation, holding expectancies constant. The strength of the relationship between alcohol expectancies and consumption level increased among fraternity and sorority members, according to chapters' progressive exaltation of the role of alcohol. The implications of the findings are discussed for observed gender differences, the role of self‐selection into these unique student organizations, and current efforts to recalibrate Greek chapters toward greater personal safety and control.