Hazing in Fraternities and Sororities
Hazing in U.S. university fraternal groups is a pernicious and sometimes even deadly practice that dates back to the founding of the first collegiate fraternities in the nineteenth century. In spite of growing antihazing sentiment, laws against hazing in 44 states and campus crackdowns, hazing persists as a rite of passage and tradition in colleges and universities across the United States and around the world. This article examines the roots and manifestations of hazing in university-based fraternities and sororities in the United States. It includes a discussion of university policies and practices to curtail it by national fraternal organizations and antihazing activists. Best practices include the encouragement of bystander intervention to halt hazing as it happens, along with the mandating of alcohol-free (dry) fraternity houses and an end to the pledge period.
Cults in Our Midst
Foreword Part One: What Are Cults? 1. Defining Cults 2. A Brief History of Cults 3. The Process of Brainwashing, Psychological Coercion, and Thought Reform 4. What's Wrong with Cults? Part Two: How Do They Work? 5. Recruiting New Members 6. Physiological Persuasion Techniques 7. Psychological Persuasion Techniques 8. Intruding into the Workplace 9. The Threat of Intimidation Part Three: How Can We Help Survivors to Escape and Recover? 10. Rescuing the Children 11. Leaving the Cult 12. Recovery: Coming Out of the Pseudopersonality Postscript: The Millennium, Cults, and the End of the Century.
The alcohol-aggression stereotype: a cross-cultural comparison of beliefs.
University students (N = 1,008) in eight countries participated in a survey aimed at mapping cross-cultural alcohol expectancies. Multisample structured means analysis was applied to compare changes in aggressive behaviors believed to occur in connection with drinking after "many" alcoholic drinks. Most subjects expressed the belief that intoxication was associated with greater aggressiveness, but there were significant national differences unrelated to self-reported alcoholic beverage preference, frequency of drinking to intoxication, or rates of personal involvement in episodes of alcohol-related aggression. Thus, the expectation that drinking leads to aggression may be determined to a significant extent by contextual factors and cultural traditions related to alcohol use.