This document discusses fraternity men's moral development and self-authorship. It begins by providing background on fraternities, noting that 5% of male college students are members. It then poses the research question of examining the self-authorship process of fraternity men through their moral development. The literature review covers topics like fraternal involvement, moral development theories including Kohlberg's stages, and how self-authorship relates to moral development. The purpose is to understand how fraternity men develop morally and self-author their lives through their fraternity experiences.

1. Running head: EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 1
External, Crossroad, And Fraternal Authorship:
Fraternity Men’s Self Authorship Through Their Moral Development
Matthew Greer
Rutgers University

2. EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 2
Abstract
When a college male decides to join a fraternity he must think about the implications that follow.
The reasoning behind why he chose to join his organization and the developmental path that he
takes differs depending on his moral development and the decisions he makes based off of those
developmental stages. In order to help fraternity men to self-author in his respective organization
he needs to develop in his moral competence and understand what it means to live the values of
his founders. Professionals, whether Greek advisors, alumni advisors, or older brothers, can help
or hinder the development of current members, if he or she does not understand the
developmental process his or her self.

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External, Crossroad, And Fraternity Man:
Fraternity Men’s Self Authorship Through Moral Development
Introduction
The North-American InterFraternity Conference, NIC, is composed of seventy-three
national or international fraternities that have varying membership types, ethnical demographics,
and mission statements and visions. Although some women’s groups are called fraternities, the
definition of fraternity for this study is an all males group, either social or cultural based, whose
values encompass scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship (DeSantis, 2007). There are
other male Greek-Lettered organizations that have professional or career affiliations and honor or
leadership societies, but they will not be included in this study.
The NIC consists of 372,090 undergraduate fraternity men in its membership across 6136
chapters on roughly 800 campuses (Meltzer, 2007). There are three national fraternities not
included in this conference, if we include: Kappa Sigma Fraternity with an additional 18,000
collegiate members in 316 chapters (Brabham, 2015), Phi Delta Theta Fraternity with 10,000
collegiate members in 167 chapters (Brussalis, 2015), and Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity with
11,000 collegiate member in 194 chapters (Lichtenauer, 2015). The population of the entire
undergraduate fraternity membership that would be examined would be approximately 411,090
collegiate men across 6,813 chapters. The National Center of Education has the total number of
undergraduate men at approximately 7.7 million (Carr, 2015). Therefore, across the nation 5% of
male students are members of a fraternity. With a population size of that number it is important
to see fraternity men’s developmental differences from other students in today’s institutions.
When thinking about a developmental process that effects fraternity men, moral development is
the first one that comes to mind, especially in his younger years in membership. Why do they do

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the dumb things they do? With hazing incidents, alcohol abuse, and rape culture; why would
anyone want to join these organizations? And how do these experiences help students self-author
their lives? Based off of research, self-authorship theory, and moral development theory this
paper will examine how fraternity men self-author based upon their moral development.
Research Question
Social platforms have showcased the moral decision making of members of the fraternity
community. When a group of young men are a part of an all male organization during the pivotal
developmental years of their late adolescents, it should be expected that they would develop
differently. Therefore, I want to discuss, what is the self-authorship process for male students in
fraternities, via their moral development?
Literature Review
Fraternal Involvement
The first fraternal organization, Phi Beta Kappa was created in 1776 at the College of
William and Mary. Since Phi Beta Kappa’s founding the fraternal world has expanded
exponentially (Whipple & Sullivan, 1998). Fraternity and sorority professionals have stated that
fraternity and sorority life was the original student affairs, before student personnel were
positions on institution's campuses. Fraternities teaches community development, scholarship,
leadership, philanthropic agendas, and service, but the student personnel did it better.
Fraternities’ national headquarters have now begun to play the catch up game in the areas that
student affair professionals have begun to excel, such as diversity and inclusion (Starks-Corbin,
2010). Fraternal resilience and adaptation is outlined in Beth McMurtrie’s article for the
Chronicle of Higher Education. She states:
“Some people may say that fraternities are facing an identity crisis, but that underplays how
resilient and adaptive they have always been. They’ve existed since the time of the American

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Revolution, appeared in modern form in the early 1880s, survived the Civil
War, and rode the waves of social upheaval in the 1960s and ’70s. They thrived in the
1980s, nearly collapsed under the weight of lawsuits in the 1990s, and returned, corporatized and
professionalized, in the 2000s (McMurtrie, 2015).”
The development of the male fraternity student is different depending on the type of
chapter the man joins, the Greek culture on the campus, effectiveness of the alumni and other
advisors in helpfulness, and the role he wants to play in this community. The progression of
fraternity men follows a certain timeline. The man will choose, which organization he wants to
join by going to varying recruitment events and gets to know the brothers and has the brothers
get to know him. In cultural organizations, the man would become an associate of the chapter,
which is an informal relation before the new member program begins (Kimbrough, 2003). In
social fraternities, active membership votes on the man to see if his values align with the active
membership of the chapter. If the man passes the voting requirement he will be extended a bid,
which is an invitation to probationary membership, otherwise known as ‘pledging’. After
successfully completing a probationary period, normally about eight weeks, the man will be
initiated into full membership of the organization. As a full functioning member this is where the
moral development and ethical decision making begins for the fraternity man. He will either
become the stud or the dud of the chapter, and with representation of each differing from chapter
to chapter (DeSantis, 2007). The chapter stud could be the leader or the guy who gets all the
girls; he could be the jock or the person who cares the most about the organization's values. The
dud is the opposite of what the chapter considers the stud.
Moral Development
Lawrence Kohlberg developed a theory of moral development, modeled after Jean Piaget;
to discuss the developmental stages people go through as they develop cognitively. Kohlberg
observed moral development in three levels; each level has two stages. Pre-conventional, the first

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level of moral development has children at a very basic understanding of judgment. Something is
good or bad, or right or wrong; no gray area is left up for interpretation. In stage one, children
obey rules so that they will not face the consequences. Stage two lets children take action as they
see right. They do things because they want to, and do not think about what others might think,
or how it affects them. The conventional level of development has the person start to think about
others in their immediate circle. They begin to realize their actions can affect their friends,
family, and other people around them. Stage three the person thinks that they are behaving
correctly when they are nice to others, or perceived as being nice to others. Stage four includes
maintaining social order and listening to the Authority. The final level, post-conventional focuses
on moral value and truly understanding one’s moral judgment. Stage five has people
understanding that some laws are unjust, and morality of law and order is developed in this stage.
The final stage, says the person fights for human equality and is a front-runner for making the
world more morally just (Kohlberg, 1971).
Fraternities harness a significant amount of negative association based on the men’s
moral development over the years. Fraternities were the original living learning communities for
college campuses. In the past, when students wanted to forge high standards and expectations
they sought out the fraternal organizations. In today’s cultures student affair professionals offer
learning communities separate of the fraternal system. When the exclusivity is removed, so is the
regulation. The fraternal system may not be the one’s to blame; the overall conversations that
undergraduates need to have are not being had about their moral development (Whipple &
Sullivan, 1998). Whether this conversation is coming from a parent, coach, or advisor the
students are not having it. They simply do not know that having a “Jamaican-me-crazy” or
“Asian-Sensation” party is morally unjust.

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Kohlberg’s moral development theory is a cognitive development theory. It deals with
what someone thinks, but not what they do per say. Their behaviors are not the focal point, but
rather their reasoning (Earley, 1998). Kohlberg’s theory is also generalized across all genders,
races, cultures, etc. Pearson and Bruess’s research shows that these implications are not
transferrable to all types of people. There are a variety of demographics that make up the entirety
of the fraternal system; therefore there is a need to be some adjustments to Kohlberg’s theory for
it to adhere to fraternity men. (Pearson & Bruess, 2001)
Self-Authorship
As Kohlberg modeled his theory after Piaget’s studies, Marcia Baxter Magolda realized
that there were some parts missing from William Perry’s theory of intellectual and ethical
development. She decided to design a study to fill the gaps between genders and also
incorporating identity and relationships. She completed a fifteen-year longitudinal study
measuring 101 young adults development as seen in Making Their Own Way. Baxter Magolda’s
theory has three dimensions, each with four phases. The dimensions include different aspects of
your life and different areas you can develop in. Epistemological is the first dimension, and deals
with ‘What do I know?’, or the cognitive part of development. The second dimension is
intrapersonal, and explains ‘Who am I?’, or the identity part of development. The third
dimension is interpersonal, and explains ‘What relationships do I want with others?’, or the
interaction part of development (Baxter Magolda, 2001).
Each of these dimensions has four phases in order to be fully developed. Phase one is
following formulas, which consists of doing what you are told because an authority tells you to
do so. Once you realize that the authority is not always correct with the answers they give, and
you start to question what you want; you enter crossroads. Crossroads normally happen after a

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major event, in which you start to question what you are taught and develop your own way of
thinking instead of relying solely on what others have told you. This can be through a
“shipwreck moment’, or one that makes a major impact on your life. Once your path is
determined you begin to become self authored in the area that you choose to live you life by. The
final phase is internal foundation. This phase only happens when you become grounded in your
believes and cannot be swayed away from them (Baxter Magolda, 2001).
Regression can happen in self-authorship, whether for chosen reason or forced action,
however you have to progress from phase to phase and cannot skip phases.
“This pattern of retreat from and reemergence of self-authorship suggests self-authorship
might come into forms: action and reasoning, where action involves behaving in ways
consistent with self-authored thinking, and reasoning is an ability to cognitively and
intrapersonally make sense of situations” (Pizzolato, 2004).
Marcia Baxter Magolda has closed the gap Perry left wide open between developing male
and females, and included new phases of in interpersonal and intrapersonal development. She
was able to help college age students understand their development, and grow along this linear
system to become self-authored human beings. When integrating moral development, there is
another layer added to the already multifaceted structure of self-authorship. Leadership skills can
often help a student progress quicker in self-authoring their development and understanding the
skills needed to obtain cognitive development. Fraternity involvement has social, leadership, and
reflective components to it, which would allow student to progress through self-authorship in a
different manner than a student not affiliated with a fraternity (Pressler, 2013). The following
theory will showcase the correlation between fraternal involvement and moral development to
explain how males in fraternities self-author.
Proposed Theory
Moral development is a key factor to the self-authorship of fraternity men when within

9. EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 9
their respective organizations. The theory incorporates the moral development of fraternity men
as they author their experience and move through stages of development. Cycles were chosen as
the increments because progression becomes easier to see as the fraternity man strengthens his
involvement. However the stages of moral development will also be referenced. The stage of
moral development in which the male student is in directly prior to joining will make a
substantial impact on the type of member that student becomes.
“Most college students are in Kohlberg’s Stage 3 of moral reasoning, in which what is
right is determined by the peer group. If one’s peers believe that a certain behavior is
correct, for all practical purposes the person holding loyalty to that group will act
accordingly” (Blimling, 2010).
The inaugural cycle of the Fraternal Authorship Theory is the unaffiliated formulas. This
cylce includes any male student that has not made an effort in the understanding of fraternity life,
or his role within it. This person is not affiliated with any type of all males group, either social or
cultural based, whose values encompass scholarship, leadership, service, and fellowship. Once
they decide to go through the recruitment process and become a new member of an organization
they begin the continuum of crossroads and fraternal authoring their experience.
A student will enter crossroads at varying points depending on how developed he is in his
moral development. If he is at stage 3 of moral development, the seeking approval stage, he will
self-author his fraternal experience differently than someone who is at stage 4 of moral
development, the obeying rules of social order stage. If the student enter crossroads at stage 3, he
will want to be accepted by the organization and will be willing to do anything in order to do so.
If the student enters crossroads at stage 4, he will want to follow the rules and keeping law and
order to the community. Once the student enters into crossroads, and the way in which he enter
determined by his moral development, he begins to self-author his fraternal experience.
Fraternal Authorship refers to the path in which his crossroads moment took him. He

10. EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 10
begins to live the life etched out in the beginning of his fraternal journey. If he were in stage 3 of
moral development versus beginning in stage 4 of moral development, this fraternal authorship
probably looks different. However, he has begun to express himself in the way that he most sees
fit in his current condition. The student begins to live the life he has chosen. Others around him
can identify the path he chose because his actions are clear and determined from a developmental
standpoint. The student can strengthen or weaken his fraternal authorship at any point in time by
going through another crossroads. If the student were in stage 3 of moral development in the
beginning of his journey, but is now in stage 4, this could lead to a second crossroads experience.
He re-evaluates his role within the organization and then begins to fraternally author his
experience in a different way.
After the initial crossroads moment other crossroad moments can happen at pivotal times
for the student. These times include, but are not limited to: advancing a stage in moral
development, moving from probationary membership to initiatory membership, a shipwreck
moment, winning or losing an election, and graduation. These moments tend to have the
individual reflect on the experience, and focus on what the future holds. In this forward thinking
mentality the student begins to express himself to live out the ideals that he believes in at that
particular moment.
In this model there is not a form of regression associated with reverting backwards from
self-authored to external formulas, which Marcia Baxter Magolda outlines as being able to
happen (Baxter Magolda, 2001). The student continues to cycle through crossroads and self-
author of his fraternal involvement the entire time he is involved with the organization. He can
never regress back into unaffiliated formulas because he will always understand what it means to
be involved in a fraternal organization; his mind will never be wiped of that experience. He can,

11. EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 11
however, enter disaffiliated formulas at any time within his fraternal involvement, and thus cycle
out of fraternal authorship. If he feels he no longer wants to associated with the organization, or
that the organization feels that he is not living up to his moral obligation and they remove him
from membership, he enters disaffiliated formulas. In this cycle, the member is no longer
associated with the organization either voluntary or involuntary, therefore no longer developing
his fraternal authorship. As can be seen in model A, disaffiliated formulas is in the center of the
theory because once you understand what it means to be in a fraternal organization you never do
not understand what it mean to be a member.
MODEL A: Fraternal Authorship Theory Model (Greer, 2015).
We will explore specifics of the model through two examples. Johnny’s journey of
becoming a member of Kappa Rho Tau Fraternity, and Sammy’s journey of becoming a member
of Omega Chi Phi Fraternity. Sammy is a start student and a presidential scholar, before

12. EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 12
attending college he worked with his parents who run a nonprofit soup kitchen where he served
meals for homeless men and women every weekend. Sammy understood the difficulties in the
work and actively wanted to make a difference. When Sammy began college he wanted to join
Omega Chi Phi fraternity because of the level of distinction the chapter had. They had the
highest GPA, were active leaders and role models on campus, and were know for a signature
philanthropy event that raised thousands of dollars for childhood cancer research. Sammy is in
stage 4 of moral development. He is cognizant of his relations as a member of society and acts
accordingly. Because of his developmental maturity Sammy enters the crossroads phase
differently than Johnny. Johnny was a high school all star. He earned varsity letters in football,
wrestling, and baseball. He received a full Division I baseball scholarship to an out of state
university that is known for its party scene. Johnny wanted to make new friends and be accepted
by his new school community decides to join Kappa Rho Tau. Kappa Rho Tau is known for their
enormous parties, and has slipped through the cracks of getting kicked off campus because the
university’s president is a Kappa Rho Tau. Johnny is in stage 3 of moral development, he is
seeking acceptance from the new community he is apart of, and makes decisions influenced by
his peers. When Johnny enters crossroads he is thinking of all of the social aspects of the
fraternity experience, and ultimately fraternal authors himself as the chapter drunk. Sammy,
however, entered the fraternity wanting to learn more about how to get involved and ultimately
earned the recruitment chair his first semester as a brother. Sammy fraternally authored as hard
worker, and a future leader within his organization.
Johnny begins to realize that his actions have consequences, after his third trip to the
campus conduct office. He begins to enter another crossroads. He begins to think what kind of
role he will now play in the chapter. Cognitively, Johnny has now entered in stage 4 of moral

13. EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 13
development because he understands his actions have consequence not only for himself, but for
his chapter. Johnny decides he wants to help out with recruitment and begins to author his
fraternal experience as a team player. At this point Sammy has realized that he can do better for
the Greek community as a whole if he runs for a position on the InterFraternity Council. Sammy
has entered stage 5 of moral development because he is becoming a responsible member of the
community.
At the point when Sammy and Johnny were finishing their senior year, and they began to
enter another crossroads of understanding what their fraternal involvement will be post
graduation. Sammy decided that he had a good time as an undergraduate member, but the
fraternity life was just something to build his toolbox of skills. He made great friends that he will
keep in touch with, but he no longer has involvement with the fraternity. Sammy has become too
bogged down with his new job as a marketing campaign manager, and thus has entered
disaffiliated formulas, and cycled out of fraternal authorship. He still has full understanding of
his fraternal involvement, but is no longer in the continuous loop of defining his role, and
strengthening his dedication to his oath of membership. Johnny gained a great deal from his
organization, and developed into a different person at the end of his tenure at his institution. He
decides to become an assistant advisor for a chapter near his hometown, which causes Johnny to
author his fraternal involvement again, this time as a teacher. Johnny will continue to progress in
the cycles of Fraternal Authorship Theory until he no longer decides to be a contributing member
of his organization.
Implications for Practice
As was spoken about earlier, social platforms have showcased the moral decision making
of members of the Fraternity community. When a group of young men are a part of an all male

14. EXTERNAL, CROSSROAD, AND FRATERNAL AUTHORSHIP 14
organization during the pivotal developmental years of their late adolescents, it should be
expected that they would develop differently. Discovering the correlation between moral
development and self-authorship of fraternity men allows practitioners to help the population that
was focused on. Depending on his moral development stages tends to foreshadow how his
fraternal authorship with happens, understanding that the growth is on a continuum until the
member is disaffiliated with the chapter.
There are still many factors that are associated with helping fraternity men develop and
grow through their membership in his own organization. Three implications of this theory would
include, but is not limited to the following. Chapter advisors whether, regional, national, or
institutional affiliated gain an understanding of fraternal involvement, and why certain brothers
get involved and other disengage. There should be an implementation of programs that allow
fraternity men to understand moral development to excel to higher levels of understanding,
especially that his actions affect the general population. Finally advisors should set benchmarks
for chapter presidents to allow him to help advance his chapter and its members to grow and
mature through the developmental process.
In brief, my theory on the self-authorship of fraternity men via their moral development
allows everyone involved with enhancing the developmental process of students to implement
programs that advance the cognitive skills. It also helps to empower the individual to embrace
the values of his organization and continue to grow them with every decision that he decides to
make.
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