Fraternities have been well alive for centuries, with the first one dating back to 1776 at the College of William and Mary. Some promote a particular profession, discipline, or are just for socializing. Oftentimes, the relationship between drinking and fraternities can be seen in widespread media.
Before the toga-party cliches begin to circulate, it's worth asking if fraternity membership encourages hard-drinking behavior? Is it these type of guys that attracted to the fraternity or does Greek life shape them to be excessive drinkers?
A study done by Adam McCready of Salem State University found that the answer is probably both. The study reports that while the level of alcohol consumption and the level of hyper-masculinity that drives a fraternity's cultures varies from chapter to chapter, there is a strong link between the two variables.
McCready used a survey to compare 76 chapters of the same fraternity at different universities across the United States and Canada and roughly 2,678 members participated. They were asked a series of questions about their alcohol consumption, how frequently they drink and how many drinks at a time. They then filled out a questionnaire that was designed to discover the extent to which they conform to traditional masculine norms. These questions asked about emotional control (expressing their feelings), winning ("I will do anything to win"), sexual adventurousness (having several sexual partners if they could), and violence (willingness to get in a physical fight if necessary).
The questions also pertained to "heterosexual self-participation" meaning the perceived notion that these members had to present as heterosexual. The participants were asked to note the degree to which they agreed to statements such as "I would be uncomfortable if someone thought I was gay" and "I try to avoid being perceived as gay."
The study reports that members of chapters with a strong sense of "straight-bro culture" were more likely to drink heavily than those chapters that were less masculine. There was roughly a 44 percent difference in alcohol consumption between chapters that had the "stereotypical fraternity culture" to those that didn't.
Another reason binge drinking could be on the rise for fraternities is due to it being a constant aspect of frat life. There's usually peer pressure within the house done by group members to keep drinking, even to dangerous levels. These houses also have initiation rituals and some sort of hazing activities centered around alcohol in some form. Initiating members can involve asking them to drink heavily and pressure to do so can be intense to overcome. There have been instances where excessive drinking has lead to alcohol poisoning and deaths.
Recently a review representing more than 20 years of research has been published in the American Psychological Association's Health Psychology journal, showing that frat brothers seem to resist alcohol education and lessons from peer-mediated groups.
The change to drinking culture has to come from the inside. Fraternity brothers have to speak out against the very culture they're a part of.
