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This chapter will focus on two components of the adolescent peer system, namely, dyadic friendships and affiliations with groups of peers. Our primary concern is sketching normative patterns within these components and their consequences for adolescent adjustment. We confine our analysis to North America youth because a majority of research is concentrated on this population. As a comparison point, we will occasionally refer to youth in other nations. We will be more attentive to variability among North American adolescents with regard to ethnic or socioeconomic background. We begin with an overview of the organization of peer social system and its transformations during adolescence. We then examine, in turn, research on friendships, small-group relationships (cliques), and the broader group system (crowds).(PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)