ABSTRACT
Hazing is a term with a broad definition that encompasses a variety of activities, rituals, and rites of passage to which individuals are subjected in order to gain organization, group, or team membership. This chapter focuses on the diversity of experiences and perspectives that highlight the context and complexity of hazing within military organizations, on athletic teams, among marching band members, and in the context of fraternity and sorority life (FSL) organizations. According to McGlone, hazing activities can be organized into two main categories: physical and mental. Physical hazing may include beatings, branding, paddling, excessive exercises, drinking alcohol or other substances, using drugs, and sexual activities. Types of mental hazing may include verbal abuse, being blindfolded, being restrained, and being locked in confined spaces. Hazing practices have become a problem of epidemic proportions in higher education. Since the resurgence of hazing in the 18th and 19th centuries, hazing practices have spread far beyond academic classes.
