Predictors of hazing motivation in a representative sample of the United States

Hazing – the abuse of new or prospective group members – remains a puzzling and persistent cross-cultural phenomenon. Aspects of hazing behavior may reflect the operation of psychological adaptations designed to lessen certain forms of ancestral coalitional exploitation. Using a representative sample of the United States, this paper replicates and extends prior findings on predictors of hazing motivation in a university population. Results suggest that probable vectors of ancestral exploitation by newcomers (e.g., freely available group benefits) predict desired hazing severity, and that these effects generalize to a larger and more diverse sample. Findings are discussed in light of hazing's evident complexity and cultural patterning.