The untold stories of fraternity hazing survivors

Abstract

Several research studies have been conducted to investigate the reasons behind individuals' motivation to join fraternities despite the existence of hazing practices. These studies have identified a range of societal, cultural, educational, and personal factors that contribute to this phenomenon. Some of the key factors include a desire to support disadvantaged groups, a commitment to cultural traditions, the pursuit of academic prestige, and the opportunity for personal growth. It is worth noting that most of these studies have focused specifically on Western fraternities that engage in hazing. Researchers used Symbolic Interactionism to comprehend participant narratives and experiences. Alderfer's ERG theory studied motivations to join organizations and complete hazing rituals. The theory sheds light on experiences leading to new fraternity members. Three participants underwent semi-structured interviews through purposive and snowball sampling using narrative inquiry as a methodology and thematic analysis. The analysis of the lived narratives of three male participants from the province of Iloilo revealed that Bandura's self-efficacy is the latent proof that believing in oneself to overcome the pain associated with challenges can lead to achieving one's goals. Compared to previous studies, the three participants predominantly made use of self-efficacy to increase their chance of surviving the said hazing. These findings have significant implications for the untold stories of fraternity hazing survivors, their driving force to enter such an organization, how they overcame stages to becoming an official member, and how they managed to restore the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects of their health.