"Now!" whispered Suki. "Quick, while the clerk's not looking." Heart pounding, Leah slid two tubes of lipstick into her purse. She looked bored as she followed her friends Suki and Jill out of the store, but inside she felt panicked.  "I can't believe you made me do that," Leah cried. ks5u "Relax," said Jill. "Everybody does it sometimes. And we didn't make you do it. " She said nothing, but Leah knew she wouldn't have done that on her own. She was just experiencing huge peer  pressure.  Sometimes, though, the stresses in your life can actually come from your peers. They may pressure you into doing something you're uncomfortable with, such as shoplifting, doing drugs or drinking, or taking dangerous risks when driving a car.  The pressure to conform (to do what others are doing) can be powerful and hard to resist. A person might feel pressure to do something just because others are doing it. Peer pressure can influence a person to do something that is  ly harmless -- or something that has more serious consequences. Giving in to the pressure to dress a certain way is one thing -- going along with the crowd to drink or smoke is another.  The people who are most easily influenced will follow someone else's lead first. Then others may go along, too -- so it can be easy to think, "It must be OK. Everyone else is doing it. They must know what they're doing. "Before you know it, many people are going along with the crowd -- perhaps on something they might not otherwise do.  Responding to peer pressure is part of human nature -- but some people are more likely to give in, and others are better able to resist and stand their ground. People who are low on confidence and those who tend to follow rather than lead could be more likely to seek their peers' approval by giving in to a risky challenge or suggestion. People who are unsure of themselves, new to the group, or inexperienced with peer pressure may also be more likely to give in. The story in the beginning serves as   _  .
a lesson to young people an example of peer pressure a warning of security in shops an introduction to bad behavior in youth