Becoming Part of the Team: Female Student Athletes’ Engagement in Initiation Activities

in The Sport Psychologist

Click name to view affiliation

Moira Lafferty University of Chester

Search for other papers by Moira Lafferty in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
*
and
Caroline Wakefield Liverpool Hope University

Search for other papers by Caroline Wakefield in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
*
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/TSP.2016-0115
Keywords:
hazing; initiation ceremonies; university sport
In Print:
Volume 32: Issue 2
Page Range:
125–135
Restricted access

The aim of this study was to explore female student athletes’ participation in initiation activities, specifically to examine whether activities in the United Kingdom followed trends similar to those reported elsewhere. A sample of 8 female athletes representing both traditional and nontraditional team and individual sports (M age = 20 yr 3 mo, SD = 1 yr 3 mo) who met inclusion criteria of having taken part in an initiation ceremony consented to participate in a semistructured interview. Thematic content analysis resulted in the emergence of 6 higher order themes represented by 2 general dimensions: the initiation event and initiation outcomes. Findings indicated that female student athletes’ initiation activities encompassed discrete stages as they moved from team newcomers to accepted team members. Of particular concern is the direct and indirect role of alcohol in these events and the health and behavioral risks.

Lafferty is with the Dept. of Psychology, University of Chester, Chester, United Kingdom. Wakefield is with the Dept. of Health Sciences, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Lafferty (m.lafferty@chester.ac.uk) is corresponding author.
  • Collapse
  • Expand

The Sport Psychologist

Cover The Sport Psychologist

  • Allen, E., & Madden, M. (2008). Hazing in view: College students at risk. Retrieved from http://www.hazingstudy.org/publications/hazing_in_view_web.pdf

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Anderson, E., McCormack, M., & Lee, H. (2012). Male team sport hazing initiations in a culture of decreasing homohysteria. Journal of Adolescent Research, 27 ,427–448. doi:10.1177/0743558411412957

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Atwell, K., Abraham, C., & Duka, T. (2011). A parsimonious, integrative model of key psychological correlates of UK university students’ alcohol consumption. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 46 ,253–260. PubMed doi:10.1093/alcalc/agr016

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

  • Brackenridge, C. (1997). ‘He owned me basically…’ Women’s experience of sexual abuse in sport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 32 ,115–130. doi:10.1177/101269097032002001

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 ,77–101. doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Cadigan, J.M., Littlefield, A.K., Martens, M.P., & Sher, K.J. (2013). Transitions into and out of intercollegiate athletic involvement and risky drinking. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 74 ,21–29. PubMed doi:10.15288/jsad.2013.74.21

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Campo, S., Poulos, G.& Sipple, J.W. (2005). Prevalence and profiling: Hazing among college students and points of intervention. American Journal of Health Behaviour, 29 ,137–149. doi:10.5993/AJHB.29.2.5

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Carlson, J.A. (2010). Avoiding traps in member checking. The Qualitative Report, 15(5), 1102. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol15/iss5/4

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Clayton, B. (2012). Initiate: Constructing the ‘reality’ of male team sport initiation rituals. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 48 ,204–219. doi:10.1177/1012690211432659

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Cote, J., Salmela, J.H., Baria, A., & Russell, S.J. (1993). Organizing and interpreting unstructured qualitative data. The Sport Psychologist, 7 ,127–137. doi:10.1123/tsp.7.2.127.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Crow, R.B., & Macintosh, E.W. (2009). Conceptualizing a meaningful definition of hazing in sport. European Sport Management Quarterly, 9 ,433–451. doi:10.1080/16184740903331937

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Diamond, A.B., Callahan, S.T., Chain, K.F., & Solomon, G.S. (2016). Qualitative review of hazing in collegiate and school sports: Consequences from a lack of culture, knowledge and responsiveness. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50 ,149–153. PubMed doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-095603

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

  • Finkel, M.A. (2002). Traumatic injuries caused by hazing practices. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, 20 ,228–233. PubMed doi:10.1053/ajem.2002.32649

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Graneheim, U.H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: Concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse Education Today, 24(2), 105–112. PubMed doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Groves, M., Griggs, G., & Leflay, K. (2012). Hazing and initiation ceremonies in university sport: Setting the scene for further research in the United Kingdom. Sport in Society, 15 ,117–131. doi:10.1080/03031853.2011.625287

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Gutgesell, M.E., Moreau, K.L., & Thompson, D.L. (2003). Weight concerns, problem eating behaviors, and problem drinking behaviors in female collegiate athletes. Journal of Athletic Training, 38 ,62. PubMed

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hamilton, R., Scott, D., LaChapelle, D., & O'Sullivan, L. (2016). Applying social cognitive theory to predict hazing perpetration in university athletics. Journal of Sport Behavior, 39(3), 255.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hamilton, R., Scott, D., O’Sullivan, L.F., & LaChapelle, D.L. (2013). An examination of the rookie hazing experiences of university athletes in Canada. Canadian Journal for Social Research, 3 ,35–48.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hinkle, S.L. (2006). Cognitive dissonance in athletic hazing: The roles of commitment and athletic identity. Dissertation Abstracts International, 67 (1-B), 599.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Hollmann, B.B. (2002). Hazing: Hidden campus crime. New Directions for Student Services, 2002, 11–24. doi:10.1002/ss.57

  • Hughes, R., & Coakley, J. (1991). Positive deviance among athletes: The implications of overconformity to the sport ethic. Sociology of Sport Journal, 8(4), 307–325. doi:10.1123/ssj.8.4.307

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Johnson, J. (2000). Sport hazing in the context of anti-hazing policies: The case of two southern Ontario universities. (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Toronto. Retrieved from https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/13572

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Johnson, J. (2002). Are sisters doing it for themselves? An analysis of gender and the sport initiation ceremony. Journal of Canadian Woman Studies, 21(3), 125–131.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Johnson, J. (2011). Through the liminal: A comparative analysis of communitas and rites of passage in sport hazing and initiations. Canadian Journal of Sociology, 36(3), 199–227.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Johnson, J., & Chin, J.W. (2016). Hazing rites/rights: Using outdoor-and adventure education-based orientation to effect positive change for first-year athletes. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 16(1), 16–30. doi:10.1080/14729679.2015.1050681

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Johnson, J., & Holman, M. (2009). Gender and hazing: The same but different. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 80 ,6–9. doi:10.1080/07303084.2009.10598315

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kaiser, K. (2009). Protecting respondent confidentiality in qualitative research. Qualitative Health Research, 19 ,1632–1641. PubMed doi:10.1177/1049732309350879

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Keating, C.F., Pomerantz, J., Pommer, S.D., Ritt, S.J.H., Miller, L.M., & McCormick, J. (2005). Going to college and unpacking hazing: A functional approach to decrypting initiation practices among undergraduates. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9 ,104–126. doi:10.1037/1089-2699.9.2.104

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Kirby, S., & Wintrup, G. (2002). Running the gauntlet in sport: An examination of initiation/hazing and sexual abuse. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 8 ,49–68. doi:10.1080/13552600208413339

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lafferty, M.E., Wakefield, C., & Brown, H. (2016). ‘We do it for the team’—Student athletes’ initiation practices and their impact on group cohesion. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 15(4), 438–446. doi:10.1080/1612197X.2015.1121507

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lisha, N.E., & Sussman, S. (2010). Relationship of high school and college sports participation with alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use: A review. Addictive Behaviors, 35(5), 399–407. PubMed doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.12.032

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Longstaff, F., Heather, N., Allsop, S., Partington, E., Jankowski, M., Wareham, H., … Partington, S. (2015). Drinking outcome expectancies and normative perceptions of students engaged in university sport in England. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 9(1), 59–75. doi:10.1123/jcsp.2015-0005

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Lowe, H., & Cook, A. (2003). Mind the gap: Are students prepared for higher education? Journal of Further and Higher Education, 27 ,53–76. doi:10.1080/03098770305629

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • MacNamara, A., & Collins, D. (2010). The role of psychological characteristics in managing the transition to university. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 11 ,353–362. doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2010.04.003

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Nicholls, J.G. (1989). The competitive ethos and democratic education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  • Nuwer, H. (1999). Wrongs of passage. Fraternities, sororities, hazing and binge drinking. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

  • Nuwer, H. (2004). The hazing reader. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.

  • Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

  • Ryba, T.V., Stambulova, N.B., Si, G., & Schinke, R. (2013). ISSPposition stand: Culturally competent research and practice in sport and exercise psychology. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 11 ,123–142. doi:10.1080/1612197X.2013.779812

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Saldaña, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. London, UK: Sage.

  • Tesch, R. (2013). Qualitative research: Analysis types and software. London, UK: Routledge.

  • Tolich, M. (2004). Internal confidentiality: When confidentiality assurances fail relational informants. Qualitative Sociology, 27 ,101–106. doi:10.1023/B:QUAS.0000015546.20441.4a

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Turner, V. (1969). The ritual process. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin.

  • Van Gennep, A. (1960). The rites of passage. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

  • Van Raalte, J.L., Cornelius, A.E., Linder, D.& Brewer, B.W. (2007). The relationship between hazing and team cohesion. Journal of Sport Behavior, 30 ,491–507.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Waldron, J.J. (2008). I have to do what to be a teammate? Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, 79 ,4–10. doi:10.1080/07303084.2008.10598171

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Waldron, J.J. (2012). A social norms approach to hazing prevention workshops. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action, 3 ,12–20. doi:10.1080/21520704.2011.639854

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Waldron, J.J. (2015). Predictors of mild hazing, severe hazing, and positive initiation rituals in sport. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 10(6), 1089–1101.

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Waldron, J.J., & Kowalski, C.L. (2009). Crossing the line: Rites of passage, team aspects, and ambiguity of hazing. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 80 ,291–302. PubMed doi:10.1080/02701367.2009.10599564

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Waldron, J.J., & Krane, V. (2005). Whatever it takes: Health-compromising behaviors in female athletes. Quest, 57 ,315–329. doi:10.1080/00336297.2005.10491860

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Waldron, J.J., Lynn, Q., & Krane, V. (2011). Duct tape, icy hot & paddles: Narratives of initiation onto US male sport teams. Sport, Education and Society, 16 ,111–125. doi:10.1080/13573322.2011.531965

    • Crossref
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

  • Wylleman, P., & Lavallee, D. (2004). A developmental perspective on transitions faced by athletes. In M. Weiss (Ed.), Developmental sport and exercise psychology: A lifespan perspective (pp. 507–527). Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
All Time Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 2247 468 19
Full Text Views 181 49 11
PDF Downloads 116 38 14