How Sorority and Fraternity Life Professionals Validate Culturally Based Sororities and Fraternities

Abstract

Scholars have documented the positive outcomes that affiliation with sorority and fraternity life (SFL) organizations affords students; yet, few studies have explored how SFL professionals enable these benefits. Using validation theory as a framework, this narrative study examined how SFL practitioners affirm members of culturally based sororities and fraternities. Findings illustrated how SFL professionals interpersonally validated these students, in addition to the structural and contextual shifts they engaged to do so.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ As noted in Table 1, participants chose their identity markers, and to honor their language, we use the terms they wrote throughout our findings.