I often hear the comment "people never change", and wondered what you thought. Do people "change"? Or more specifically, CAN people change? I won't say more than that, so I don't slant the question, but just as the question hits you, what do you think? And don't get cute and say "yes, as they get older they change"....you know what I mean. So? Do people ever change? Yes or No Wes
This is a complicated question, for you are asking under the guise that people are mentally stable, when in fact that is not always the case. Sometimes the damage is permanant and will never change.
I think most people are capable of learning from their experiences, so yes, change is possible. The change may not be immediate, but I think it possible.
Hard to answer without qualifying the question more but I read this study about people who had won lottery. Miserable before, miserable after. Content before, content after. Then the same result with people who had a serious accident. By the time your an adult you are the person you are. Things just change around you.
Stick your nose into a church and ask people for their testimony about the changes in their lives. Change is very possible.
Yea, psychologists will say it takes a very traumatic incident to induce it. Death, tragedy, life threatening incident, birth of a child, addiction or recovery etc.
I think as a person 's situation, age and experience change, their reactions, thoughts and views *CAN* change. I voted YES THEY CAN.
I voted no. I think your personality gets set early and thats it. However, you can learn to control it and train yourself to act a certain way in a certain situation.
IMO, it's like putting spoiled milk back in the fridge, and hoping things'll be better the next day...
Tough question. I am all for giving people a second chance. So yes, people CAN change. But then again, 'old habits die hard.'
Yes. Self-acknowledgement or recognition of dependencies, mental, metaphysical or spiritual shortcomings often leads to daily growth in efforts to overcome obstacles. By way of example, the "One Day At A Time" motto adopted by many a recovering alcoholic, or "Daily Bread" devotional time for Christians, whether their born-again status is a new path or an old, familiar one, the internal dialogue is an ongoing one. Then, there's the slap upside the head, which comes in many forms who sit amongst those who realize either slowly or through an epiphany, "everything you know is wrong"... I try to change on a daily basis, just by keeping my "eyes" open. Eye Am The I.
I said no because I always see people who have some sort of distinctive trait about them that doesn't ever seem to go away. Whether good or bad I think everyone has something about them that is ingrained in them that won't change ever. Mark
On an individual basis: If you can look back ten years and *not* say, "Boy was I dumb", then you've stopped learning.
Interesting comments, thanks! One thing's for sure, people shouldn't use this phrase! Nobody knows how you mean it. I remember Trump using it on his show and it made me think, "Is it true?" I think "practically speaking" people change. As was aluded to earlier, an alchoholic who doesn't drink anymore is no longer an alchoholic to the outside world. So in practical terms that person "changed". Yet underneath they still struggle with it, so in that way they haven't changed. Yet some people can even change on that level as well. So I guess I disagree with the notion that people cannot change. I think it's hard to see an artist becoming a great engineer, but on many other levels people can seem to change, and in the end, how they act is all you can really judge. Wes
It can on some and it did with me, I had never been faithful before, and I never thought I would or could change, then I met my wife 5 years ago and I have never looked back since
I believe people can not change, they can only mask / improve their behaviors. My girlfriend and I both have some traits that the other can't stand, and for the most part we can keep them under control, but given the right series of events they come out.
We-e-e-llll, The way the question is phrased, 'Can people change', the answer is undeniably 'yes'. I think the people around the world who are falling under the influence of radical Islam/Al Qaeda/what have you certainly are changing. Not for the better IMO, but their outlook, their belief systems, their fundamental view of the way the world should work - all are undergoing massive change. I think the people who fell under Charles Manson's influence changed who they were to a very significant degree. These are both examples of negative change - but not all change is positive. People who survived POW camps, came back from Viet Nam, underwent a religious epiphany, survived a plane crash, became Internet billionaires......all these things can change people. Myself, I became much more understanding and patient toward children after I had one of my own. Learning to drive made me a more considerate pedestrian and cyclist. Losing my father at 15 changed me in a big way, etc etc......so yes, people can change. Neil
Yes, people can change. Many experiences in my life have made me see things from the past much more clearly and have allowed to make changes so that the past does not repeat itself.
