Do People Change?

[SoulBlazerFan]

This is a question I've been asking alot of people lately, so I've decided to ask you guys and gals; Do you think people change, really change, or do we all just stay the same?

[Jason Tandro]

After the age of 13, nobody can really change. We might change our mannerisms, our way of expressions, outlets for our emotions, etc, that may make us seem more mature, but the way we were raised as children, (and to a greater extent our core nature) has more impact on us than anything else. If you are a rotten spoiled child, odds are you'll be (at least on the inside) a rotten spoiled adult. It takes something phenomenal to change our baser instincts, such as a near-death experience, but for the most part I haven't changed substantially since I was about eight.

I still play with Nerf guns for cryin' out loud.

[Freedan]

I believe it's possible, but it's very rare. The individual has to truly want to change for any progress to be made.

In the vast, vast majority of cases though, any "change" that happens is purely for show. Someone knows that people don't like the way they are, how they think, or how they act, so they "change" their ways. That doesn't mean they don't still think or act that way; it just means they don't think or act that way in front of other people. In other words, the only change is that they have better self control.

Some people are capable of actually changing, but that usually requires some major learning experience that convinces them that changing is necessary.

[gamechampionx]

I think people do change.

Far too often have I heard talking about people changing in relationships. 2 or 3 years down the road, the general attitude of a person may not be what it used to be.

[chicken]

i think you change ever day or every moment you live, cause its like, every moment is different to the one before and the one before and the one .... you get the point...

sometimes you change a lot, like someone i know quite good and knew for quite long time changed in the past 1-2 months into someone strange and "too cool for the world"... its a pitty...

anyway, like i said, people change every day, either you realize it, or you dont...

[Axe Kazama]

depends how drastic and where you draw the line when a person has changed

but yes, I think it's possible to change, through either traumatic experiences or over a long period of time

[Kaziroh]

With Freedan, the Dark Knight, I definitely agree.

[Manibrandr System]

I think we change, a lot. It's the experiences that we choose to relate to that is what shapes us.

[Axe Kazama]

I wouldn't change

I'd still hate Freedan even if he gave me a kidney
go to hell you awesome bastard

[Freedan]

Axe Kazama wrote:

I'd still hate Freedan even if he gave me a kidney

I'd be disappointed if you didn't.

But you don't get my kidneys. Your body wouldn't know how to cope with the substantially increased amount of awesome, and rejection is a given.

Not that your body would reject my kidneys. They'd reject you.

[Miss Prime Blue]

some people change, others do not. It depends on if you really want to change or not.

[Muerte]

gamechampionx wrote:

I think people do change. Far too often have I heard talking about people changing in relationships. 2 or 3 years down the road, the general attitude of a person may not be what it used to be.

I would put that more down to the fact that you find out more about the person you're with after so long. The initial stage of getting to know someone they hide parts that the other wouldn't like, eventually if together for a long time a person may find a lot they don't like about the other person. However, they put this down to change because initially they acted differently.

[lucas_kelly11]

I don't think there is a doubt that people do change. Things happen to people that make them change their life or their personality.

[tay120n64]

I believe that the ability of a person to change is dependent upon both that person's overall desire to change, and what exactly about that person he or she wants to change. There are some things we, as people, cannot change about ourselves. Subconscious responses and genetic behavior is usually constant, as are behaviors that are learned at young ages. Like Jason said, most of our behavior is deemed by age 13. So, essentially, we can change things about ourselves that we learned after that.

When it comes down to it, it all depends on discipline. If you can discipline yourself to remain constant in your decisions you can change anything about yourself. (but most people don't have that kind of self-control)