Peer Pressure

Peer pressure comprises a set of group dynamics whereby a group of people in which one feels comfortable may override the personal habits, individual moral inhibitions or idiosyncratic desires to impose a group norm of attitudes or behaviors.It requires members to conform to the overall value of the group. These reference groups are sometimes referred to as membership groups, when the individual is "formally" a member (of, for example, a political party or trade union). Individuals may also have aspiration groups (social cliques, say, such as yuppies) to which they would like to belong. They may also recognize dissociative groups with which they would not wish to associate (thus drinkers may go to great lengths to avoid being associated with lager louts). This peer pressure can sometimes be used to great effect by marketers. If they can sway the few opinion leaders in the reference group they will capture the whole group.

Peer pressure appears also in some professions, one example often given is about financial analysts that tend to have common opinions and tend to privilege buy recommendations. Also scientific paradigms are difficult to change because of common mental commitments of most scientists in a given field.