Hazing… does it build teams or break them down? There can be different outcomes to each event within a team or organization. “Hazing” is defined as any activity expected of a member joining a group that will humiliate, degrade or risk emotional or physical harm, regardless of the person’s willingness to participate. (Will Keim, 2010) The ones involved create an uncomfortable environment for the one’s being initiated into the group. Whether this includes wearing something goofy, forcing someone to perform a task, engage in unlawful behaviors, etc., groups engage in these behaviors in order to create a bond or isolate individuals. They are typically known to be harmless pranks or comical antics; however, what is actually being demonstrated is bullying or someone on a “power trip.”
So why would ANYONE go along with these antics? One may feel extreme peer pressure or solely desire to belong to the group. I believe the more serious or detrimental the hazing is for the group, the more these members are broken down and isolated from the others. Not to down play humiliation, but this may not have as large of an impact as physical harm would create. There have been “pranks” played on members of a group that may create a bonding. However, if you need to ask if the activity is hazing… it probably is! Teams often engage in scavenger hunts, trips, or bonding activities that create effective team building and unity, hazing is NOT one of them.
*Hazing is outlawed in 44 states, the following do not have anit-hazing laws: Alaska, Montana, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Check out these sites for more information or examples of hazing:
DU Sport Psych 