V – A committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done.
Sorry boys, this is not gonna be all about babes and booze.
A fraternity is a social organization of men students at a college or university. And to join these fraternities, the potential members (pledgelings) have to go through trials to get into the fraternity; for example in this movie; from getting their butts signed by a stripper to placing a live ostrich in an opposing fraternity house.
The question is - Why does anyone want to go through all these humiliating or mindless tasks just to join a group?
Group Socialisation.
Whazzdat?
It is the situation where individuals (the pledgelings) are seeking to meet their needs, and in this case, to be more popular, by joining the “coolest fraternity on campus”.
Trenholm (2004) explains that a group is “… individuals who, as a result of interacting with one another over time, become interdependent, developing shared patterns of behavior and a collective identity.”
This is evident in Fraternities and Sororities.
Another question you might ask would be – Why don’t the guys already in the fraternity think that they are going too far with the challenges and tasks they are making the pledgelings undertake?
That is the characteristic of being in a group. Individuals in a group have a shared behavioral standard and a collective identity. Another reason is that because they had already gone through these tasks before they were allowed membership, they believe it as a culture of being a frat-brother. This is the evaluation process as described by Moreland and Levine – there are several different stages to becoming a member of a group.
-
Prospective member – stage where the individual analyzes the pros and cons of becoming a member of the group (whether it will benefit them)
-
New member – the orientation stage or the transitional stage (the trials the members are tasked by the group to test whether they could assimilate into the culture)
-
Full member – Pledge-brother woohoo. You will start to assume responsibilities for the group.
-
Marginal member – Smaller role in the group
-
Ex-member – Often when the student leaves the school, they will “pass the baton”
Being inside the group, more often than not, there are obvious symptoms we can observe.
And in this movie, groupthink symptoms are clearly seen:
- Illusion of invulnerability – In this case, being in “Beta house”, the individual will feel that they are the coolest guys around and that they could do anything (i.e. partying like there’s no tomorrow/stealing from opposing fraternity is deemed OK). It is somewhat like a false sense of security thinking that they are protected by own fraternity rules/laws and external rules do not apply (the real laws).
- Believe in group’s own morality – that their conduct, ethics are correct.
- Shared stereotypes – Not being in “Beta” equates to being uncool.
- Collective rationalization – that their actions are justified. On the pledge board, #42: Ship a pledge in a crate to Toronto. As a bystander, what do you think? Mad or Cool?
- Self censorship – discerning what is acceptable or unacceptable
- Illusion of unanimity – because of groupthink, no one would stand out and say “Hey, I think what we are doing is wrong.” There is this false sense of having a complete agreement from everyone in the group for their behaviors and ways.
How true it is that being in a fraternity will affect one’s own decisions? Will you still be YOU? Or will you turn out to be just like any another product of the frat-ory?
Source: http://www.americanpiemovie.com/
hey i feel that no fraternity can affect your decisions. At the end of the day, you do something because it is your choice. No one can force you to do something you don’t want to. For example, National Service is compulsory for all 18-year-old boys or else they would have to go to jail if they fail to comply. Some may say that the boys are influenced by the society but think of it from a different perspective. They chose to serve to army in order to avoid worser consequences of going to jail. It is better to suffer for 2 years in the army rather than for a longer period in jail.
Aakansha
October 10, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Yes, but my point is that people tend to conform when they enter a group, and in this case, a fraternity. Failure to conform may result in outcasting.
Aloysius
October 24, 2009 at 5:52 pm
I think your example about NS would be pretty much different from joining a fratinity. In NS, you’re pretty much almost ‘forced’ to join the fratinity, which is different from choosing to join it to be cool.
However I would admit that if i guy has not been to NS, i would find him strange and suspicious as all men need to be enroled into it unless they have serious criminal records or have severe health ailments.
Also, i think that no fratinity can affect your decision unless you have fallen prey to the groupthink which is defintely very unfortunate. So you got to be mentally strong and prepared if you are to join such groups!
kelly0831
October 28, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Aha..very apt movie to discuss grp socialisation. I think groupthink can be a rather scary concept if taken to the extreme. I really think that one’s morals and values must stand firm if pressured by the group to do what seems crazy to him.
charlene
October 10, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Agrees with Aakansha. Fraternities cannot affect your decisions. It’s the individual’s own choice to go through crazy trials just to gain acceptance by the fraternity. I personally wouldn’t go through all that trouble just to join a group. Being a greek is not a sure ticket to being “cool”. Its your own personality that defines that.
Litsie
October 10, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Yes, i do agree with the previous comments. In order to join a group, one must go through a series of test. Some point to ponder about is ‘why must people do so much to get into the fraternity?’. There should be freedom to choose whether to join anything, and not due to social or peer pressure.
Henry
October 10, 2009 at 10:15 pm
I suppose most people have stereotyped fraternities as the ‘cool’ thing to do just like in high school whereby its the guys in the football team who are deemed cool? So possible for the desire of being a cool dude, and standing out from the rest that leads people to do the craziest things to join the groups. Who knows, maybe they just want to feel good about themselves thats why they want to join those groups. Insecurity?
Jacqueline
October 10, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Yep! Insecurity might have influenced them to “want” to join the fraternity to be accepted in a larger group. It satiates the individual’s need to be “liked”.
Aloysius
October 24, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I think that sometime if would be fun to join the fraternities, but i don’t think it would be fun taking those extreme test. I agree with henry that we should have freedom to choose what to do & not by peer presure and blindly follow other people.
kokseng
October 10, 2009 at 11:58 pm
That is the problem with social norms! What was frowned on in the past is increasingly being accepted now. Like drinking and pre-marital sex. of course, it’s still frowned upon in society, but the increase in these activities is more evident now, showing that youths are more flexible about what was considered strict moral values in the past. Luckily, there are different social groups in society with different values and standards. For example youths from religious groups like churches and Christian organisations surely do not accept pre-marital sex as a social norm. Drinking is an entirely different issue though. Some people think drinking strong alcohol is wrong. Others think that as long as you don’t get piss drunk and do something stupid; it’s alright. Hopefully abortion does not get legalized in Singapore like it is in the US. It really depends on what the society in that particular country thinks and what is accepted. Some people think that as long the fertilised egg is not 14 days old; about the time it takes to become an embryo, it’s alright to end its life cos it isn’t a living thing! But who are they to decide? Everybody defines their own moral values and standards. It’s really hard to determine what’s right or what’s wrong. So in the end everyone just joins the social group they identify most with that falls in line with their own morals and standards.
Leslie
October 11, 2009 at 1:27 am
I agree with Aakansha as well. There may be people around you trying to pull you into something, but it’s still up to you to make your own rational decision. High school’s a great test for all of that.
V
October 11, 2009 at 11:33 am
Decision making is an important part of our lives.Even if others around you say otherwise,you still have the final say in what you do.
Yu
October 11, 2009 at 2:10 pm
people tend to join social groups that possess traits or characteristics which they as individuals desire to have. however, problem arises when they realise that they are getting more than what they want. for example, certain undesirable behaviors start to emerge from people in the group. it is this time that they need to re-consider their decisions and allegiance. do they want to conform to the “norm” of the group? or would they protect their morals and character? this is why to me, when one is in the prospective member stage, he should always weigh the pros and cons thoroughly. even when he is in a social group, he should always be mindful of any changes heading in the negative direction. you can always lose some friends, especially if they are not much of the “friends” you thought they will be, but you must never lose your identity and character.
clown
October 11, 2009 at 6:21 pm
People yearn for social acceptance, always trying to fit in, conforming to others’ ways which are actually against their own values.
Joining a fraternity makes you feel like you are actually part of something and not just a lonely soul wandering around in school. Everybody needs friends!, or at least “friends” (this kind of reminds me of the Sims game where characters need major socializing time to keep them happy haha). But I would say the things that they go through in order to join fraternities might be a little too extreme. Then again, different countries have different cultures. What seems unacceptable to us Singaporeans might well be a norm over in the US.
I am sure a person’s environment affects one’s decision. A person just has to follow the crowd in order to be part of them, because choosing to drop out would be against a person’s innate desire for social acceptance.
weixin
October 11, 2009 at 10:03 pm
i think engaging in idiosyncrasies is part and parcel of joining a new organization. for those involved, its a chance to prove themselves worthy of joining the club while to those in upper management, it is a selection process and a convenient way to engage their new members in ‘undesired’ activities. eventually, both parties (normally) get what they want.
jun
October 12, 2009 at 10:07 pm
hey..I think that the guys in Beta House don’t seem to mind what they do regardless of what it takes to become part of a fraternity because for one thing, they could probably have nothing better to do. I mean, looking at the American college culture, we know that the people there are more liberal in almost whatever they do. Some do it for fun because they may think that they are still young and that it is the one time that they can become loose like wild animals. Others do it simply to conform to the “norms” in college and to be accepted by the majority.
Suzana
October 17, 2009 at 4:22 pm
HAHA! I wouldn’t know if an individual would really express himself and how he wants to be portrayed if he were in a fraternity. I stand for individualism. Even if it means taking on the role of just merely absorbing the culture of the group! playing the passive role allows one to assess the situation of the group, and choose whether he wants to be himself or not! I guess the issue with fraternity is being exclusive. Hence, because we have the right to choose, either we drop out of the fraternity, choose to blend in/play along, or just be in the group!
Audrey J Low
October 17, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Hey! You know the term for these fraternity pledges that are harmful is ‘Hazing’. From wikipedia: a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group.
It is totally sad I THINK that many undergrads find it ‘necessary’ to enter into one of these fraternities -like a Rite of Passage- whilst failing to see it is just proving that your a follower, a conformist. Tradition, rite or pledge – yeah I get that it’s important to be a member of something but not one where you are harmed along the way.
Nina Reyes
October 18, 2009 at 7:09 pm
its so true, where team work is so important! Less me but more US! =)
I always love team work, when everyone also give the effort(s) needed. But I always hate TEAM WORK, when there is someone who take the other team for granted or just for the advantages.
Screw those people!!
s.gunawan
October 18, 2009 at 10:05 pm
You mean free riders? – It’s unavoidable girl!
Aloysius
November 8, 2009 at 9:38 pm
To me, joining a fraternity is perfectly a cool thing for an undergrad as long as the activities are appropriate. Although I felt that the activities done in the movie were cool and exciting, those activities would not be appropriate in the context of Singapore as we are still conservative to a certain extent. Being involved in a group that shares the same goal/mindset is indeed a good thing as people in the group can relate well with each other. It will definitely spice up one’s life in school. Friendly competition among fraternities is common and healthy but competition that results in insults and fights would be very serious. Hence, one should observe the behaviours of fraternities before joining.
Randy
October 19, 2009 at 9:14 pm
The most common symptom of groupthink is having illusions of invulnerability creating excessive optimism and encouraging risk taking. This is the main point of groupthink that give rise to erroneous decisions. Doesn’t this gives its members self boost in confidence, allowing one to have a shared positive view of the group functions and the member itself.
Secondly, terrorist and radical groups have this unquestioned belief in their warped ideology. While the basis of their actions and its consequences are totally unacceptable in the first place, this belief binds them so tightly together that it is so difficult to dismantle. This warped belief, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to be withering nor receding.
The minute we see groupthink, we will only view that this group has lost it focus and seek to correct the symptoms of groupthink immediately. However, groupthink has its usefulness too. We should not just brush aside groupthink because it is bad. We also should accept groupthink as positive construct to a group. After a certain limit, then its negativity will negate its usefulness, that’s where we should then step in. Think about it, the many symptoms of groupthink have certainly appeared in the groups and/or organisations that you have been in. But has the negative effects really show ???
Shawn
October 25, 2009 at 11:46 pm
I believe groupthink is actually negative.
To think conflicts are harmful and should be avoided is a myth. Although conflicts can cause hurt feelings and in some cases can cause a group to dissolve, there are also some positive aspects to conflicts.
Conflicts can help a group understand the issues surrounding a decision or problem more completely than if the initial disagreements are not expressed. Second, conflict can improve a group’s decisions. A logical outcome of members understanding an issue more clearly is an improvement in the group’s decision making.
Aloysius
November 8, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I believe such depends on the individual. Some are willing to sacrifice their own morals for the sake of being accepted into the group and what the group thinks of them, while others, no matter what insults they receive, they still stand by their own principles and morals in what they believe to be the right thing to do. Of course there are also others who stand in between with mixed feelings on certain issues.
Samuel
October 26, 2009 at 10:36 pm
I guess theres a difference between individuality as a person and as a group. As a person, we are affected only by our surroundings and how things happen to us. However, as a group, we run the risk of being influenced by the people close to us.
Saying that having people around us blinds us from the world is a little strong. However, if we do not practice our sense of individuality as a person, we can get lost.
While being in a group gives us a sense of comfort and “protection”, we must always remember that while we will definitely be affected by the group, we have to take a step back and look at things as a whole.
A person’s morals can be changed if enough pressure is placed on him, whether he realises it or not.
wporchard
October 27, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Being in a group does not always necessary means that we will conform and groupthink will occur. We are still unique individuals, as such we still have different takes on the same issue. That is why different members take on different roles while working in a group.
Ying Jie
November 1, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Well fraternity does influence us a lot. Take, for instance, fashion trends. More often than not, those who dress strikingly different are subjected to staring and mocking.
However, a fraternity is only somewhat influencial. There are many individuals who do not conform. Reality has it that not all in SIM dress or behave the same. They have their own cliques and what-nots.
chervinlam
November 7, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I think you’ve misunderstood, a fraternity ITSELF is a clique, and their behaviours are often governed by their “house”. Un-conformers will not join the fraternity in the first place!
Aloysius
November 8, 2009 at 4:13 pm