Relationships among Fraternity Chapter Masculine Norms, Organizational Socialization, and the Problematic Behaviors of Fraternity Men

Abstract

College fraternities are routinely associated with alcohol use and hazing (e.g., Wechsler, Kuh, & Davenport, 1996; Allan & Madden, 2008). These outcomes can lead to troubling consequences for fraternity members, and other stakeholders (DeSantis, 2007; Syrett, 2009). The masculine norm climates perpetuated by fraternities may contribute to fraternity men’s alcohol use and hazing motivations (Kimmel, 2008; Syrett, 2009). However, not all fraternity members conform to hegemonic masculinity (Anderson, 2008; Harris & Harper, 2014). The masculine norm climates collectively espoused by fraternities may vary between chapters, and these differences may explain members’ alcohol use and endorsement of hazing rationales (DeSantis, 2007). In addition, organizational socialization tactics have been found to relate to the outcomes of newcomers (e.g., Ashforth & Saks, 1996), and these tactics may explain differences that exist across the population of chapters for the relationships among members’ conformity to masculine norms and their alcohol use or endorsement of hazing rationales. No prior study had utilized a large, multi-institutional sample to examine if fraternity members’ alcohol use or support of hazing rationales varied between fraternity chapters, or if the masculine norm climates promoted by chapters predict these outcomes. To address this gap, this study collected data from 2,678 undergraduates from a single college men’s social fraternity represented at 76 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Utilizing a critical postmodern quantitative inquiry, the data were analyzed through descriptive analyses and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The findings indicate that fraternity members’ alcohol use and endorsement of hazing rationales varied between fraternity chapters. Chapter heterosexual presentation climate was positively related to a member’s alcohol use. Risk-taking, heterosexual-presentation and playboy climates were positively related to members’ endorsement of social dominance hazing rationale, whereas the violence climate perpetuated by a fraternity chapter was negatively related to this rationale. Risk-taking climate was positively associated with the endorsement of solidarity and instrumental education hazing rationales. Investiture socialization climate was found to not moderate relationships among individual masculine norms and hazing rationales.