The Manoa Alcohol Project uses the “Social Norms Approach” along with complimenting harm-reduction techniques to reduce high-risk (or dangerous drinking practices) amongst UH Manoa students.  According to the social norms Wikipedia entry:

“The social norms approach is founded upon the belief that individuals incorrectly perceive that the attitudes or behaviors of others are different from their own, when in reality they are similar. This phenomenon is known as pluralistic ignorance. It is largely because individuals assume the most memorable and salient, often extreme, behavior is representative of the behavior of the majority. This may lead individuals to adjust their behavior to that of the presumed majority by adhering to the pseudo-norms created by observing such memorable behavior. These exaggerated perceptions, or rather misperceptions, of peer behavior will continue to influence the habits of the majority, if they are unchallenged. This means that individuals may be more likely to enact problem behaviors and suppress healthier practices, making support for healthy behaviors much less visible at an aggregate level. This effect has been documented for alcohol, illegal drug use, smoking, other health behaviors, and attitudes, such as prejudice.”

The social norms approach arose from the Theory of Planned Behavior, which includes components other than subjective norms. One of these components is self-efficacy, an individual’s feeling of control over his or her behavior and its outcomes in a given context. The campaign includes messages designed to increase students’ sense of self-efficacy that help compliment the social norms approach.

For more information on the social norms approach visit the National Social Norms Institute or the social norms Wikipedia page