Hazing by infantilising and denying newcomers a voice – nuancing the negative consequences

Purpose

This paper aims to nuance the understanding of hazing’s negative impact on newcomers.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through a qualitative interview study of recently employed nurses’ (n = 19) and nursing students’ (n = 42) hazing experiences and analysed through reflexive thematic coding.

Findings

The analysis uncovered two themes relating to hazing’s normative harm on newcomers’ professional self-image: “Being denied a voice” and “Being infantilised.”

Originality/value

This paper challenges the two-dimensional challenge-hindrance framework for elucidating the individual consequences of hazing and suggests adding threat stressors.