A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF MASCULINITY ON PEER ACCOUNTABILITY IN FRATERNITIES

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the social construct of masculinity on the fraternity members’ experiences with accountability. This study focused on the methods fraternities used to hold their members accountable, how the members’ behavior changes, and the impact masculinity had on accountability methods. This study is rooted in an understanding of the concept of masculinity and how it is often engrained deeply in the fraternity experience (Harris & Edwards, 2010; Harris & Harper, 2015). This study used document review to understand espoused expectations and accountability process. Additionally, four participants each from two different fraternity chapters participated in semi-structured interviews. This qualitative phenomenological study sought to understand the experience each member had with accountability in their fraternity. After multiple rounds of coding, five themes were created encompassing the experiences fraternity members had with accountability: formal accountability only a formality, herd mentality: informal expectations of the group, informal accountability is the real accountability, being a man prioritized, and culture and context set the tone. The study largely found that masculinity had a strong influence over the accountability experience in the chapter. Additionally, informal accountability was used daily to enforce several informal expectations. Formal accountability and formal expectations, however, did not take priority in fraternities. The expanded understanding of accountability can be used by fraternity members and their advisors to help empower men to mitigate high-risk behavior. Doing so will be critical to ensuring fraternities remain a viable opportunity for undergraduate student involvement.