Can people change?

Hmm... this is certainly a very interesting question with many different possible answers.

Personally, yes, I believe that people can change, but only if they are willing to do so. No matter the offense, anyone is capable of changing and feeling sorry for their actions.

However, when it comes to giving chances, that varies. Normally I would say that no one is beyond a second chance, however there are few exceptions to this rule, namely if the person is question did something particularly sickening. The same applies with someone who has done nothing too wrong and has received a myriad of chances to improve their ways, but does not seem willing to do so.

Eventually, those chances can and will run out. For me, at least.
 
Yes. I think as young children our mindset is to learn and befriend.
As teenagers we sift through the friends we have and see who we want and whos fake.
As adults.... i cant say cuz im not an adult
 
I guess it really depends on whether or not the person wants to change, because if you want to change, people will find a way, that's how the human spirit works, we can change if we give ourselves the chance and the proper attention to change and we will change.
 
Can people change? Yes, interfere with their brain functions in specific ways can result in a personality change. This is observed with brain diseases
 
I feel as if, people on the surface level can change, but it is pretty hard to change the core elements of someone's personality. I might be wrong but I feel like even after traumatic experiences or the person themselves attempting to change themselves, that person will still retain some aspects of their core personality.
 
I think they can, in some ways. It kind of comes down to nature vs nurture, as well as experiences. I've seen people totally turn their life around after something major happened. But there's also the nature aspect, their personality. That might not change, not fully, though some very small pieces might. Nurture portions of people I think can change more easily. Environments change, meaning people may adapt to their surroundings. (Though I'm no psychologist, so take my words lightly.)

But there are some definite bigger changes that can happen due to trauma. I've changed myself, after experiencing something very traumatic, turning me from someone very carefree and happy to slightly more subdued and wary. My friend, who went through that same situation alongside me, went from somber to needing to keep people happy all the time. We both changed drastically. It's odd. I think trauma has a stronger effect in changing things about a person. Or, some people may be lucky enough to experience something so good that it changes them. Maybe it's very strong experiences that can change a person? Idk.
 
As a writer, I am also a continued student of psychology and the psyche of people especially. It really helps with crafting characters, which many of you already know i am sure. So, according to many of the books that i have read, childhood experiences do shape people and form their behavior patterns. But there is often an underestimation of the effect that self work and even external influences can have. My therapist friend talks about how sometimes a piece of poetry, a Netflix show can create changes unwittingly and permanently. So i do feel that people can change
 
Personally, I don't think people can change themselves as a whole person, but people can be educated but not completely changed.

For example, if someone was a racist, and they begin to learn about black culture and black people and learn they are the same as them and they just have a different colour. They may not be a "bad person" anymore but, they'll probably still have those thoughts within their mind.
 
I don't think people ever really change, they just become more of what they truly are.
 
Ink_Rain said:
Based on your experiences with people in your life, do you think that people can change? How many chances do you usually give a person who has wronged you or lied to you before you stop believing them when they say they'll be different?​
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Yes people change, but they can't tell you that they did or they'll change they actually have to show you that they change. So should you trust someone if they tell you they'll change, probably not. Should you accept an apology and give a person a benefit of the doubt, that really depends on the given situation. In most cases people deserve the respect of you giving them trust at least initially as people are not perfect and do have errors in judgement. Even lapses and perhaps the person doesn't need to change at all and they were already acting out of their normal behavior. You really don't know if they are unless you know them and that takes time.
 
Ink_Rain said:
Based on your experiences with people in your life, do you think that people can change? How many chances do you usually give a person who has wronged you or lied to you before you stop believing them when they say they'll be different?​
Click to expand...
Yeah, if they're willing to change and want to change. A person can want someone to change all they want to, but if that person doesn't want to it won't matter. I used to give people a lot of chances, more than they deserve. However, these days, I don't. It may be harsh, but I'm done giving chances. This is only for those outside of my immediate family though. My close people have never put me in a situation like that.
 
Yes.

I've changed, my family has changed and other people close to me have changed as well. Thing is though, change is slow and incremental and because of that we often don't notice that a person has changed because the change is usually small to everyone, including possibly themselves.

But just because people can change doesn't mean they will or even that the change is good.
 
I believe anyone can change.

But how or when is up to them and the choices they make along the path. If you are truly remorseful and seek to shed your former sins then you know walking the path to redemption is a long and tricky endeavor. But it is well worth the effort. because the people you meet and the resources you find along the way can help you reach your goals faster and make changing easier than if you were to try and do it all by yourself.

A lot of people make this mistake and think they have to rely on their own power to change and this isn't always true. Take me as an example.

I was in a dark place a few years back. A whole multitude of issues were dealing severe blows to my already hectic mental health and I did myself no favors by acting out against my friends and family. I'm doing a lot better now, but back then I didn't think anything was wrong with me and all I cared about was my own self interests. I was filled with a lot of deep resentment at the time due to outside circumstances in my family life that I couldn't control and I took it out on anyone who gave me the time of day. I was a horrible person to be around and I burned a lot of bridges that I sadly didn't realize until it was too late and I reaped what I sowed.

It wasn't until years later my situation shifted and I was offered a choice to receive the help I needed. I took it without hesitation even as I tried to convince myself I was fine. I wasn't fine. I needed to change, and despite me proclaiming it numerous times before I knew it wasn't entirely true. But me accepting help was the first step so to speak. I was able to talk about my issues and kind of reset myself. I lost a lot of weight and started taking prescription medicine to help with some other issues that were discovered.

To make a long story short, I'm a whole new person now. I'm a lot healthier and I have a new group of friends to talk and hang out with, I'm on a good diet and the pills help keep some of the other problems suppressed so that they aren't bothering me during the day. I'm happy and finally living like I thought I was a long time ago.

It wasn't easy by any means, there are still some road bumps I hit along the way, and sometimes I even fall back into the old mindset now and then. But that's just human nature, sometimes we have the hardest time breaking the worst habits because they are the most familiar or comfortable. It doesn't make them right or okay, but that's what learning is all about and a wise man said we never stop learning, right?
 
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