Group bonding or hazing?: The effects of masculine honor beliefs on perceptions of undergraduate hazing

Abstract

Hazing is a prevalent issue on many college campuses, and individuals higher in Masculine Honor Beliefs (MHB; i.e., prioritizing a tough social reputation) may think hazing is a test of one's honor. Across two studies (N = 366), we assessed the influence of MHB and various hazing circumstances on third-person perceptions of hazing (Study 1) and (hypothetical) first-person hazing endurance (Study 2). Study 1 used vignettes of a newcomer's hazing experience in an all men's group at three levels of severity. Individuals higher in MHB had more favorable attitudes toward hazing and perceived it as less harmful. Study 2 participants identified when, if at all, they would stop participating in a (hypothetical) hazing progression to gain ingroup membership that manipulated if the hazing was 1) primarily humiliating or physical and 2) posted on Snapchat or not. We found both higher MHB and the Snapchat condition uniquely predicted longer (hypothetical) hazing endurance, suggesting one's social reputation and the increased possibility of others seeing one's hazing progress may motivate longer (hypothetical) hazing endurance, respectively. These studies present MHB as a novel contribution in understanding third-person and first-person perceptions of undergraduate hazing.