A group may be defi ned as two or more people who bear a psychological relationship to one another and who interact in relation to a common purpose. People do not just form groups, they form groups for reasons such as to satisfy social needs, for mutual protection and enhancement or to check attitudes and perceptions. The price of group membership is conformity to norms, a norm being a shared
expectation of behaviour. Norms are essential to groups as they enable stability and provide a framework within which identities may be expressed and common goals can be pursued.
