Accelerator science in coming years will be increasingly dependent upon high singlebunch charges and/or small emittances. Under these conditions, single-particle dynamics are not a sufficient description of beam behavior and interactions between the beam particles must be taken into account. One such interaction is when collisions between the particles that compose a bunch perturb the motion of the colliding particles significantly and frequently enough to impact the beam dynamics. Multiple, small-angle, collisions blow up the emittance of the bunch and are referred to as intrabeam scattering (IBS). Here are documented the theoretical and experimental studies of IBS in storage rings undertaken as part of the CesrTA program. Under the conditions where IBS becomes dominant, other multi-particle effects can also appear. The additional effects we investigate include potential well distortion, coherent current-dependent tune shift, and direct space charge. CesrTA design and analysis is conducted in a normal mode coordinates environment which allows for natural handling of coupling. To that end, we develop a 6D normal modes decomposition of the linear beam optics. Multi-particle effects are also important for Energy Recovery Linear Accelerators (ERLs). Because the beam circulates for only a short period of time in an ERL, the beam lifetime imposed by Touschek scattering is not significant. However, the particles scattered out of the bunch can generate a radiation hazard where they collide with the beam pipe. We re-derive Piwinski's original Touschek scattering equation to check its validity when applied to ERL beams, then repurpose the formula to generate a profile of where scattered particles are generated and where they are lost. The results presented here advance our understanding of charge-dependent behavior in the sorts of high charge-density accelerators that will be implemented in coming years.