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Building on recent studies of social pressure and group conformity in peer groups, I apply a social identity framework from social psychology to the study of political networks. Using the American National Election Studies (ANES) 2008-2009 Panel Study, I test several hypotheses regarding the relationship between peer networks, the salience of partisan identity, and the consequences for intergroup attitudinal and affective polarization. The findings suggest that peer network homogeneity produces the strongest association with more salient partisan identities across several network characteristics, including cohesiveness, sophistication, and density. Both the salience of partisan identities and network homogeneity are also linked to significant intergroup polarization, that is, differences in in-group and out-group partisan affect. The current research contributes to the existing literature on political networks by highlighting the role of social identities and providing a theoretical framework worth considering for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]