What is the psychology behind hazing?

The Psychology & Motivation Behind Hazing Hazing is one of those behaviors that sometimes make you want to scratch your head as to how it persists. Hazing is common in a variety of organizations ranging from military units to street gangs to athletes on sports teams. read more

"Hazing exists in radically different cultures around the world, and the ethnographic record is replete with examples of initiation rites that include hazing," said Cimino. "It is a practice that cultures continually rediscover and invest themselves in. read more

I do agree with the "vicious cycle" answer, but there is also a clearer classic psychological phenomenon at work in hazing. It's called effort justification. Effort justification is one manifestation of a more general idea called cognitive dissonance. read more

The psychology behind hazing Where hazing in sports first started is not exactly known, but what we do know is that hazing still occurs in modern times even though it is illegal in most states, and widely disapproved by nearly all sport administrators and coaches. read more