Do people's personalities really change? Scientists used to believe that human’s personalities did not change and they would stay the same their whole life. However, a recent new study in psychology suggests that human’s personalities could change over time. Psychologists, who study the human mind, identify five important traits to understand a person’s personality, including Openness to experience: How open are you to trying new things? Conscientiousness: How responsible are you? Extroversion: How friendly, outgoing, and enthusiastic are you? Agreeableness: How caring, trusting, and generous are you? and Emotional Stability: How calm are you, especially when problems arise?. A study reveals that people who took a personality test as teenagers scored very differently when they took the same test 50 years later. Three traits of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Emotional stability change the most. Although people change over time, the relationship between traits often remains similar. From my perspective, a human's personality could change over time. But why and how? Let’s discuss in terms of human’s maturity, experiences, and intentions.
One particular avenue that triggers human’s personality evaluation occurs is the process of maturity and aging. People change their personalities over time because they grow up physically and spiritually. As individuals mature and age, they tend to develop a greater emotional stability, gaining control over their emotions, and responding to situations in a more composed manner.
People can mature very well through a series of bargains and cause-and-effect thinking to know what is good or bad. A four-year-old toddler only wants pleasure while a fourteen-year-old teenager can weigh out the goods and bads, making a fair decision. However, a teenager does this for the principles because he knows that “Lying will get my parents mad” while a toddler thinks “I lie because I want that thing!” Additionally, aging often brings about a deeper wisdom and perspectives on life, allowing individuals to become more tolerant, empathetic, and thoughtful by putting themselves into other people’s shoes. These changes enable individuals to engage in increased self-reflection and self-awareness, bringing about personal growth and understanding their own strengths and weaknesses in order to shape their personalities in a more positive way.
Human’s life experiences, whether positive or challenging, hold great power in shaping and redefining a person’s personality. Every significant life event would leave inerasable imprints on individuals’ personalities and have the potential to lead them to evolve and transform their personalities over time. Someone who overcomes a significant personal obstacle, like being amputated a leg due to sickness and learning standing up and walking, may exhibit increased determination and persistence, promoting their personality toward more resilient and perseverance individuals and gearing them to appreciate life even more. Similarly, life experiences of being failures would pose opportunities for individuals’ growth, self-discovery, and self-reflection, redefining their personalities. Someone who is going through a period of financial hardship may cultivate perseverance and adaptability and become individuals who are better equipped to navigate difficult situations with creativity. Moreover, traveling to different countries and immersing in diverse cultures would broaden individuals’ perspectives and open their minds, which in turn, to shaping their personalities. Life experiences, indeed, act as catalysts for personal growth and have huge impacts on personality.
While life experiences undoubtedly shape a person’s personality, intentional efforts towards personal growth also plays an essential role in driving personality change over time. Through self-reflection and strong willings, people have the power to transform their core traits, behaviors, and perspectives. Intentional personality change often starts with honest self-reflection. People take time to reflect on themselves and identify which areas need to be improved, allowing them to gain self-awareness and make conscious decisions to change themselves toward desired traits. Someone who gets angry easily may reflect on himself, realize he needs to work on his patience, find out the reason for their impatience, and try to develop greater tolerance through strategies such as mindfulness or therapy. Intentional personality change also involves seeking personal development resources, such as attending helpful workshops, connecting life coaches who can guide and inspire growth, or pursuing related higher education. People who want to enhance their leadership skills, no matter in the work or life, may enroll in an executive leadership program in college to develop his ability of communication, decision-making, team building, ultimately transforming himself toward a person with a leadership trait. Obviously, intentional efforts in changing one’s personality requires an individual to step out of his comfort zones, embrace new experiences, seek challenges, push boundaries, and take the discomforts as a way to foster personal growth.
So YES! People’s personalities could change over time. Personality changes vary from person to person. While certain aspects of personality tend to remain the same, several factors, including maturity and aging, life experiences, and intentional efforts, can contribute to changes in personality. Maturity and aging could bring about positive personality change, such as emotional stability and wisdom. As time goes by, people encounter countless life events. It is crucial to embrace those life experiences and make use of the potential they hold, transforming the personality. By engaging in self-reflection and getting personal development, individuals could actively shape and change their existing personality for better. Overall, understanding the nature of evolving factors for personality could foster personal growth, leading to a more fulfilling life.
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