To further understand possible motives for the emergence of initiation rituals within society, Christopher von Rueden and Mark van Vugt’s article, Leadership in small-scale societies: Some implications for theory, research, and practice, presents an “evolutionary perspective”[1] as a guide. Their article expresses the belief that humans develop when faced with “evolved decision rules – sometimes referred to as cognitive adaptations – that regulate our motivations and beliefs.”[2] These ‘evolved decision rules’ involve “behavioral changes in reproductive status, energetic status, social reputation, group structure, or inter group threats.”[3] When participating in initiation to specified elite groups, people are likely to experience these behavioral changes in order to gain acceptance. Thus, when people are put into situations where hazing occurs, they are less likely to be opposed to completing the tasks because of the fear that they will not be accepted by a particular group. This fear alone is a primary reason why hazing is an issue within society. The promotion of in-groups and out-groups creates the desire for acceptance and the willingness to go to great lengths to achieve approval.

Society has instilled a desire for humans to connect and create a sense of community. That being said, one of the hardest values to instill when a group increases in size is cooperation between all members. For instance, Dr. Len Fisher explains in his book, Rock, Paper, Scissors : Game Theory in Everyday life, “the real issue is not just getting individuals to change their beliefs about others; it is getting a whole group of people to do this in a coordinated manner.”[4] Therefore, when a group is able to fully cooperate with each other, the reward is often greater than an individual effort. Due to the desire to build a community in which majority of members cooperate with similar beliefs, initiation rituals became a factor to separate those worthy of group participation and to eliminate those deemed unfit for society. This identification with in-group versus out-group mentality causes the stem for humiliation hazing. The mentality emerges that promotes a sense that if one can prove themselves to a group by completing extreme tasks, then they have proven their commitment to an organization. Ultimately, this fear of being labeled in the out-group enforces the desire to be accepted by a certain community in order to maintain a comfortable status while participating in society. Therefore, people are willing to go to extreme lengths in order to avoid the level of a member of a so-called out-group.

 

[1] Rueden, Christopher Von, and Mark Van Vugt. “Leadership in small-scale societies: Some implications for theory, research, and practice.” The Leadership Quarterly 26, no. 6 (2015): 979. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.10.004.

[2] Rueden, Christopher Von, and Mark Van Vugt. “Leadership in small-scale societies: Some implications for theory, research, and practice.” The Leadership Quarterly 26, no. 6 (2015): 979.

[3] Rueden, Christopher Von, and Mark Van Vugt. “Leadership in small-scale societies: Some implications for theory, research, and practice.” The Leadership Quarterly 26, no. 6 (2015): 979

[4] Fisher, Len, Ph. D. Rock, paper, scissors: game theory in everyday life. New York: Basic Books, 2008