I repeatedly hear the phrase "People don't change" in movies, tv shows, and from the people around me(the pessimists). Is that true? Having grown up with the same people throughout elementary school all the way to high school, I disagree, but I somewhat think this phrase is only applicable for adults. What do you think?

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i think that people change tremendously through out life people may not like to admit it but it is true i myself have changed a lot and others around me have too. i would say that the atmosphere around people can cause it like how people tend to be different around different people.

yup, even when they don't know it

No one gives a shit what trite garbage you write here.

Definitely. No one can stay the same for a long time,* things happen*. TV and those people around you just want to seem all wise and knowing by saying old sayings.

Here is science:
Newton's 1st Law of Motion: "An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force."

We're constantly being confronted by these unbalanced forces, donchaknow? ;D

I think people can change a LOT from childhood to adulthood, but on a certain level, the core personality doesn't usually change. Looking back at my brother & sister & I, in some ways we're all very different as adults than we were as kids, but in some respects, we're still very much the same as we were.

Once people sort of "settle in" to their adult personality, there's a lot less change and change tends to be something that requires effort rather than something that just happens. Seems like the "people don't change" line is usually used as a warning about people who have been a certain way for a long time, for example they have a history of being irresponsible, or cheating on the person they're dating or married to, or drug/alcohol use, etc. With something like that, I still think people can change, but they have to want to change & be willing to put in a lot of effort. 😐

"[English] not only borrows words from other languages; it has on occasion chased other languages down dark alley-ways, clubbed them unconscious and rifled their pockets for new vocabulary."
-James Nicoll, can.general, March 21, 1992

Yes. Maybe not total makeovers,
but everything influences us a bit.

people can change soooo much! my friend's cousin last year cursed alot and all she really cared about was texting, her boyfriend, her friends and all these made up fantasy storys about her boyfriend and she hated her family and only cared for animals. but this year she changed alot! shes nicer, cares for other people, she doesn't curse anymore, she doesnt hate her family, etc.. but thats really big change for her considering her personallity.. i didnt like being around her but after she changed she got alot better and people started to enjoy being friends with her =]

Yeah, I do. The first time it ever really became apparent to me is when I was 9 years old.

I had a very close friend who was three years older then me when I was 7 or so, but I moved away. I came back a year or two later, and she was REALLY different. Before she had been fun, and nice, and silly; I guess she might've still been all those things, but she didn't like any of the same things we had enjoyed doing together before. All she did when I was over there was ignore me. I remember being very hurt, and wondered why she changed. Her cousin (who was the same age as her but didn't change at all from what I remembered her. She's actually still one of my best friends today) said that going into middle school changed her.

That was my first experience with it, but I've noticed it in everyone around me, but most notably, myself. Whenever I look at my posting history over the years from this site as well as others, I cringe. I seem so childish and foolish to myself when I look back (as well as kinda stupid; I would always try to debate about subjects I knew nothing about because I thought it was fun).

I don't know about if adults change or not. I've never paid much attention to them on a personable level.

Does the walker choose the path, or the path the walker?

People only change when the behavior is worth changing. They either want something or bad things are happening because of it.

Quote from BakaVash

People only change when the behavior is worth changing. They either want something or bad things are happening because of it.

Trauma.

Yes, definitely. I have my fair share of people changing around me and does leave some (negative) impact on myself or others. I never realised I was changing myself until one of my friends bluntly points it out that I'm different from the usual. The environment (new friends, hobbies, new classmates etc) influences people.

I find it kinda ironic how I do (sometimes) complain people change and how they treat me differently (or badly) and I, myself, is changing too and others may complain about me being different.

Yeah I think people change. Probably the most change is from childhood to adulthood.

Yes. Every experience changes someone slightly over a period of time. Traumatic experiences can probably make someone change a lot in a short time. If people didn't change then the expression 'learn from your mistakes' would be worthless, and the idea of getting an education would be worthless because everyone would be stuck at the same level as they were when they were born.

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Whenever they say anything along the lines of "People don't change" that's always a sign that someone is going to change. Often drastically.

As for real people; they do too. My reasoning would take to long to type out.

i wouldnt say yes nor no.
hmmm...but put it this way
they just happen to adjust their
life styles. 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀