Applying the concept of collective norms to alcohol education

This research examines the benefits of campus alcohol interventions that focus on the social dynamics that affect alcohol use. Most alcohol consumption on college campuses takes place in social settings and is influenced by the norms of social groups. Importantly, studies on a number of campuses have shown that students systematically misperceive these norms; they tend to believe that their fellow students are more comfortable with alcohol and with excessive drinking than they are themselves. This misperception may lead students to engage in harmful drinking behaviors in order to fit in, or to avoid feeling alienated from their peers.;The present study investigated the psychological and behavioral effects of a collective-focused intervention that was designed to correct this misinterpretation. In their first week on campus, entering students participated in one of two types of interventions, either the collective-focused intervention or an intervention that promoted individual decision-making. Both interventions were structurally identical; the individual decision-making intervention was chosen because it accurately represented a number of campus alcohol and drug programs. Students were surveyed directly prior to and after the intervention; a sub-sample of these students were surveyed again four to six months later.;The students who participated in the collective-focused intervention benefited in a number of ways. Not only did they report significantly lower alcohol consumption than did students in the individual-focused intervention, but a number of sub-groups within the collective-focused sample showed positive emotional effects as well. Additional analyses suggested that these beneficial effects were the result of a reduction in the psychological pressure to go along with the norm. These results suggest that collective-focused interventions may indeed serve a real need in the university and college community. Theoretical issues and implications for alcohol intervention are discussed.