Much has been said about the sadistic initiations that shook the world of junior hockey.
However, there are still misunderstood aspects to this scandal. Aspects that come under… psychology.
What drives a young man to impose such atrocities on his teammates? What the hell is going through his head when he grabs a hockey stick and is about to use it for purposes that deviate considerably from its intended use? In what state of mind does he find himself when he inflicts humiliations, wounds, acts of torture on his fellow men?
Understanding the motivations and the pressures exerted on the aggressors is essential if we want to prevent similar tragedies.
However, it turns out that science has answers to provide.
Diana Cárdenas Mesa is a professor of social psychology at the University of Montreal. She explains that the first idea to pop out of her head is that the slippages stem from the deviant personality of the players involved.
“If it was an individual question, that would mean that hockey attracts individuals who are more likely to do this type of action,” she underlines, judging the hypothesis very improbable.
We also know that initiations don’t just go wrong in hockey, but also in other sports teams, within university faculties and in the army, in particular.
Specialists believe that the problems arise rather from the incredible force exerted by groups on individuals.
Professor Cárdenas Mesa explains that when committing an aggression, a player does not act according to his own analysis and his own convictions. Rather, he adopts the norms, values and behaviors of the group in which he evolves.
“It is no longer: me, I think that. It becomes: we think that “, she illustrates.
Experiments have shown that this phenomenon occurs even if you form a group of complete strangers.
But it is greatly accentuated if an individual has a strong sense of belonging to a community, such as a hockey team.
“The more important the group is for us, the more we will act as a member of the group rather than as an individual”, summarizes Professor Cárdenas Mesa.
The psychological theory of social identity also shows that we tend to judge the members of our own group positively. This also applies to their actions… and to those that one commits oneself as a member of the group.
Even if we do terrible things, we can justify them and say to ourselves: it just shows that we are strong, that our group is solid. It’s surprisingly easy to convince ourselves that our terrible deeds have meaning.
Diana Cárdenas Mesa, professor of social psychology at the University of Montreal
Added to this are complex dynamics. Michael Atkinson, a specialist in violence and pain in sports at the University of Toronto, once wrote that initiations serve to “enhance the power of predatory senior members over junior members who have far less power and ability. to say no1 “.
We should add that several of the executioners are former victims who may still be disturbed by the attacks they themselves suffered.
These teachings are valuable and would benefit from being better known in all kinds of circles. Strong communities that develop their own norms and their own culture bring undeniable benefits, but also generate risks of group thinking of which we must be more aware.
Should we also only worry about the male groups? In a text published on the University of Toronto website, Professor Michael Atkinson says no.
“Initiation rituals are also common among women’s sports teams and women’s college clubs. They also involve sexual activities or simulations of sexual acts, excessive consumption of alcohol as well as humiliation and abuse towards others, ”writes the expert, who recognizes however that men tend to push things “at the upper level”.
Professor Diana Cárdenas Mesa is also not surprised to learn that leaders such as coaches and other leaders often turn a blind eye to attacks that take place during initiations. It is because they too are part of a group and seek to defend it.
This information suggests that it could be important for victims to be able to report abuse to people outside of the group to which they belong. They also help to better understand why internal investigations rarely lead to awareness and change.
Group dynamics do not change the fact that individuals remain fully responsible for their actions. This is not to excuse the assaults. Only to better understand the conditions under which they occur in order to prevent them.