Can you actually change your personality as an adult?
in Psychology ·
Reading what Lawrence Allen49 wrote, it seems to suggest that when life is going smoothly, we rarely bother with the whole "personality" deep dive. I couldn't agree more. It usually takes some sort of significant shake-up—a real gut punch—before we even start asking who we actually are, what we stand for, or why we turn out the way we do (speaking from experience😢).
Digging through the past is fine, I suppose, provided the goal is understanding our own makeup. But personally? That excavation can go on forever. It’s much simpler just to accept yourself as you are. Though, there's a catch: most of us don't even realize who we actually are😕
.
There’s this psychological theory suggesting we all have five core needs wired into our DNA: survival, love and belonging, power, autonomy, and stimulation. If you can figure out how much weight you give to each one, you’ll pretty much have a blueprint of your identity.
Personality dictates our actions; we tend to act in alignment with our nature when things get real. You can't fundamentally rewrite your personality, but you can certainly adjust your behavior. And let’s be clear: changing how you act isn't just putting on an act, as long as you're doing it to improve your own life. So, it's not about other people, it's about ourselves.
One more thing (not my thought, but I'm on board): the only person you truly have any control over is yourself. I'd add, unfortunately😢
Digging through the past is fine, I suppose, provided the goal is understanding our own makeup. But personally? That excavation can go on forever. It’s much simpler just to accept yourself as you are. Though, there's a catch: most of us don't even realize who we actually are😕
.
There’s this psychological theory suggesting we all have five core needs wired into our DNA: survival, love and belonging, power, autonomy, and stimulation. If you can figure out how much weight you give to each one, you’ll pretty much have a blueprint of your identity.
Personality dictates our actions; we tend to act in alignment with our nature when things get real. You can't fundamentally rewrite your personality, but you can certainly adjust your behavior. And let’s be clear: changing how you act isn't just putting on an act, as long as you're doing it to improve your own life. So, it's not about other people, it's about ourselves.
One more thing (not my thought, but I'm on board): the only person you truly have any control over is yourself. I'd add, unfortunately😢