Personally, I don't believe people really change. People can learn to repress certain actions or habits, but still think in the same fashion as they did before.
If that makes any sense.
[QUOTE=Estolle93;35753489]Personally, I don't believe people really change. People can learn to repress certain actions or habits, but still think in the same fashion as they did before.
If that makes any sense.[/QUOTE]
I think it's short sighted to write off anything changing as repression.
[QUOTE=Spearman;35542022]Yes, 4 years ago I used really fucking annoying faces at the end of all of my posts and it was really fucking annoying.[/QUOTE]
Four years ago, I was an intolerant douche who resorted to "trolling" people in arguments.
Luckily almost no-one remembers what I was like back then.
I used to be a giant dick when I was younger (assaulting people without good reason, throwing chairs in class, etc.), but I changed. It all depends on if the person wants to change or not, and if they have the support to do so. I can guarantee you I wouldn't have changed if it weren't for the support I had from others. Of course, the amount of support needed depends on the situation. In my case, I needed a decent amount of support.
So yes, people can change.
[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;35765311]Four years ago, I was an intolerant douche who resorted to "trolling" people in arguments.
Luckily almost no-one remembers what I was like back then.[/QUOTE]
I do.
[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;35765311]Four years ago, I was an intolerant douche who resorted to "trolling" people in arguments.
Luckily almost no-one remembers what I was like back then.[/QUOTE]
pepperidge farm remembers
of course, people can change. As well as everything else in this world, it just takes time :downs:
It's all about [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendrite]dendrites[/url].
[quote]Certain classes of dendrites (i.e. Purkinje cells of cerebellum, cerebral cortex) contain small projections referred to as "appendages" or "spines". Appendages increase receptive properties of dendrites to isolate signal specificity. Increased neural activity at spines increases their size and conduction which is thought to play a role in learning and memory formation.[/quote]
Basically (as far as I understand it) the more you do something, the more receptive the dendrites for that memory of an activity become - meaning it's hard to change established habits and traits.
I've been trying to change, from this shy kid in class to someone who is confident. The only problem is, I get embarrassed easily and for whatever odd reason, my face turns red only whenever [b]some[/b] girls talk to me, and sometimes when teachers call on me to answer questions. But yeah, people can change.
Usually the inability to form comprehensive sentences comes with the blushing, though.
Depends on the medication I take, I have atypical depression though. But when I never take my steroid/cortisol pills I tend to be more pissed off and less likely to bother doing something.
I changed heavily after the death of my grandmother, I find it hard to spout words out and sometimes I get them mixed or I don't talk loud enough. I do stammer and I lost friends in school, as they changed.
I can't help myself from bullying people, I just seem to do it without realizing as someone mentioned to me that I am.
I can't stop worrying, I can't stop stressing out so been trying to stop all of that at once but nothing's working.
Yes, I myself am a rather good example.
About 4 years ago, I was a lazy good for nothing kid, all I cared about was eating, sleeping, and playing computer games, I only wore jogging pants and had them on for a week if not longer, I was mad as crazy if I died in a video game, I'd scream for 10 minutes long, from the top of my lungs, I'd get mad if someone mad a mistake, because then I wouldn't get what I want.
Luckely, that all changed 2 years ago, and now I'm a much better person, I can actually live without computer games if I want to, I love everything, I always smile, I also have alot more to do in my life.
So yes, people can change.
I firmly believe people can change, but just as a quote from inFamous 2 because it resonated with me.
"I don't know if you've ever let someone down...Got your ass kicked, or straight up failed. But those are the moments that define us. They push you further than you've ever thought possible and force you to make choices. No matter what the cost."-inFamous 2, 2nd Cutscene about going to New Marais.
I firmly believe in this, the only time I've ever changed my ways is when I've gotten my ass kicked or failed miserably.
I think people can change, but it's hard to do so, especially when you're older. I mean, it's easy for your personality to change when you're a kid, because everything around you and inside you is changing, and you get "shaped" (im obviously having a hard time expressing my feelings at the moment aha). When you're older, i find that it's better not to forgive and forget, because at least in the times that I have, the other person, never changes.
Sure, we can become more confident, grow stronger, smarter, etc.
But deep, deep down, people can never change.
As for the thread title question; yes and no.
[QUOTE=Gekkosan;36842658]As for the thread title question; yes and no.[/QUOTE]
I don't think this is exactly displaying your position very well.
[QUOTE=bodenlan2;35542010]well like, when I was 1 year old, I couldn't talk. But now, I can, so I mean that should be qualified as a change right[/QUOTE]
that's not really what the OP is referring to. your brain isn't fully developed until around your early 20s, and before then you don't have the capability to perform the higher thought processes of an adult. a lot of changes that have been given as example in the thread likely have more to do with maturing over time than consciously improving as a person.
people generally don't significantly change based on experiences alone. our behaviors are largely predetermined by our genetics, brain structure, and life experiences (especially our childhood: the way we're raised heavily influences our view of the world) - none of these are things we can consciously manipulate ourselves. for instance, many drug/alcohol addicts, in spite of therapy, will eventually relapse (website said 50-90% of addicts relapse). there are plenty of people who are able to overcome these sorts of problems, but there are often genetic causes for these addictions and it takes a lot of effort for them to fight back. a 2009 usc article also stated that 2/3rds of criminals released from prison are rearrested within 3 years of their release.
it's quite difficult to fight your own nature.
[QUOTE=VengfulSoldier;35993281]I firmly believe people can change, but just as a quote from inFamous 2 because it resonated with me.
"I don't know if you've ever let someone down...Got your ass kicked, or straight up failed. But those are the moments that define us. They push you further than you've ever thought possible and force you to make choices. No matter what the cost."-inFamous 2, 2nd Cutscene about going to New Marais.
I firmly believe in this, the only time I've ever changed my ways is when I've gotten my ass kicked or failed miserably.[/QUOTE]
while it's a romantic thought to believe that a single experience can forever change us as a person, it's usually not the case. no matter how moving an event is for us, our personalities rarely change because of thoughts/logic alone. this doesn't apply to traumatic events though, of course - an event that jeopardizes our day-to-day life in some way (for instance, losing a loved one) can easily upset the routines we form.
i don't think the quote itself is particularly relevant though, considering that it's referring to when we're pushed to do something extreme as opposed to how we behave normally.
[QUOTE=Guy Mannly;36852914]that's not really what the OP is referring to. your brain isn't fully developed until around your early 20s, and before then you don't have the capability to perform the higher thought processes of an adult. a lot of changes that have been given as example in the thread likely have more to do with maturing over time than consciously improving as a person.
people generally don't significantly change based on experiences alone. our behaviors are largely predetermined by our genetics, brain structure, and life experiences (especially our childhood: the way we're raised heavily influences our view of the world) - none of these are things we can consciously manipulate ourselves. for instance, many drug/alcohol addicts, in spite of therapy, will eventually relapse (website said 50-90% of addicts relapse). there are plenty of people who are able to overcome these sorts of problems, but there are often genetic causes for these addictions and it takes a lot of effort for them to fight back. a 2009 usc article also stated that 2/3rds of criminals released from prison are rearrested within 3 years of their release.
it's quite difficult to fight your own nature.
while it's a romantic thought to believe that a single experience can forever change us as a person, it's usually not the case. no matter how moving an event is for us, our personalities rarely change because of thoughts/logic alone. this doesn't apply to traumatic events though, of course - an event that jeopardizes our day-to-day life in some way (for instance, losing a loved one) can easily upset the routines we form.
i don't think the quote itself is particularly relevant though, considering that it's referring to when we're pushed to do something extreme as opposed to how we behave normally.[/QUOTE]
I don't know. I was a hardcore libertarian for a while, but then looked into it more and through logic I came to the conclusion that I believe liberals have it more correct. I look at life in a much different way now.
[QUOTE=Zally13;36859762]I don't know. I was a hardcore libertarian for a while, but then looked into it more and through logic I came to the conclusion that I believe liberals have it more correct. I look at life in a much different way now.[/QUOTE]
i think i might have articulated myself poorly, but that's not quite the sort of thing i meant - something like political stance is ideally based on logic to begin with, rather than impulse. there's an effect in psychology referred to as confirmation bias - people often favor evidence that supports the beliefs they already hold and will ignore attention to evidence that contradicts them. if you were actively seeking out or even just paying attention to information against libertarianism, that likely means you were already open-minded and not just looking for evidence supporting your beliefs - a situation which is less common than you might think. your open-mindedness toward changing your views is likely a consistent trait, meaning you haven't significantly changed as a person.
[QUOTE=Zally13;36852238]I don't think this is exactly displaying your position very well.[/QUOTE]
The debated question is fairly simple.
[QUOTE=Gekkosan;36862316]The debated question is fairly simple.[/QUOTE]
A simple question can require a sophisticated answer.
The question being argued here doesn't really seem to be an answerable one. I mean the premise of whether or not someone can 'change', whether in terms of personality or ideological leaning, is an embarrassingly vague one to debate about. Not to even mention the fact that the example from the OP (Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia), is hardly a situation where people were unable to change. I'm calling it closed.
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