People often give the following advice: "Be yourself. Follow your instincts [b]and behave in a way that feels natural." [b]Do you think that, in general, this is good advice? Why or why not? Develop [b]your point of view by giving reasons and/or examples from your own [b]experience, observations, or reading. （统一和分歧） [b][b]The advice to act naturally or follow one's instincts can, admittedly, be [b]helpful advice for someone torn between difficult career or personal [b]choices in life. In most situations, however, following this advice would [b]neither be wise nor sensible. Following one's own instincts should be [b]tempered by codes of behavior appropriate to the situation at hand. [b]'First of all, doing what comes naturally often amounts to impulsive [b]overreaction and irrational behavior, based on emotion. Everyone [b]experiences impulses from time to time, such as hitting another person, [b]quitting one's job, having an extramarital affair, and so forth. People, [b]who act however they please or say whatever is on their mind without [b]thinking about consequences especially without regard to social situation, [b]may offend and alienate others. At the workplace, engaging in petty gossip, [b]sexual harassment, or backstabbing might be considered "natural," yet such [b]behavior can be destructive for the individuals at the receiving end as [b]well as for the company. And in dealings with foreign business associates, [b]what an American might find natural or instinctive, even if socially [b]acceptable here, might be deeply insulting or confusing to somebody from [b]another culture. [b]Second, doing what comes naturally is not necessarily in one's own best [b]interests. The various behaviors cited above would also tend to be [b]counterproductive for the person engaging in them. "Natural" behavior could [b]prove deadly to one's career, since people who give little thought before [b]they act cannot be trusted in a job that requires effective relationships [b]with important clients, colleagues and others. [b]Third, the speaker seems to suggest that you should be yourself, and then [b]act accordingly in that order. But we define ourselves in large measure by [b]our actions. Young adults especially tack a clear sense of self. How can [b]you be yourself if you don't know who you are? Even for mature adults, the [b]process of evolving one's concept of self is a perpetual one. In this [b]respect, then, the speaker's recommendation does not make much sense. [b]In sum, one should not follow the speaker's advice universally or too [b]literacy. For unless a person's instincts are to follow standard rules of [b]social and business etiquette, natural behavior can harm others as well as [b]constrain one's own personal and professional growth. [b]