Can we humans change?

Times of change raise questions about change. We value change, we want it, and we are terrified of it. These days, Proteus, the god of Greek mythology — from whom the adjective proteus derives, which implies the ability to change shape at will — is on the loose among us under the configuration of a highly mutable virus. "It becomes much more stable with the mutation," says Dr. Hyeryun Choe, a virologist in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the Scripps Institute in Florida. Greek tragedies always end with death, but for the Greeks they did not represent a catastrophe, but a way of looking at things, a way of introspection and reminding us that we are not gods nor are we omnipotent. That we live in constant change and that we are mortal.

For many of us even changing shoes is difficult. However, every day, millions of people configure different digital identities or avatars to connect with others or to participate in virtual games. In fact, mutability in online environments is critical to maintaining a digital identity. On the other hand, the ability to radically transform has been considered highly dangerous myths and legends; the werewolf, the vampires or the nymph Daphne, who metamorphosed into a laurel to escape from Apollo, are some examples. Despite the fact that extreme transformations can be costly —like cosmetic surgery— or difficult to perform —like sex reassignment—, in none of them is the change as unfathomable as psychic change.

Why is change sought? How is the change caused? A fundamental characteristic of the human mind is its capacity for change. While the right to change and be the authors of our own lives is a source of freedom and autonomy, then why do we resist change? Why does one cling to the repetition of what is even painful, even when there seems to be motivation to change and, in fact, has taken the step of seeking help? One of the main reasons is that as adults we unconsciously repeat - especially in the emotional sphere - all the logic present in our minds from when we were children. Sigmund Freud observed that a child who has an unpleasant experience tends to compulsively represent and repeat it in his play, called this phenomenon the repetition compulsion and identified it as one of the fundamental principles of his theory of psychoanalysis.

When a current situation induces feelings of helplessness or loneliness, it unconsciously activates in us the mechanisms that were used in childhood and causes the repetition compulsion. These patterns are registered in the unconscious and are repeated throughout life. They are irresistible forms of behavior, unpleasant experiences that we live as children who escape from our conscious control. As a result of her action, one deliberately places herself in distressing situations, thus repeating an old experience. But he doesn't associate it with the remote childhood incident; on the contrary, one has the impression that the situation is completely determined by the circumstances of the moment.

These unconscious experiences that have not been decoded - because as children we did not have the capacity to contextualize them - inevitably repeat themselves, like returning ghosts, says Freud. Difficulty changing is not simply an obstacle to overcome through tips on how to change behavior. With the right help, repetition gradually changes as one becomes aware of the mechanism that activates it, new patterns of behavior are incorporated, and the dynamism of the mind to transform facilitates the possibility of change. A plastic mind strikes the balance between the ability to change and the ability to remain the same.

Although it is true that our personality traits are perceived as relatively stable, this does not mean that they are immutable. Although it is not common for an angry person to become patient, or for someone pretentious to become humble, it is undeniable that people change. In a study asking the question of how much does personality change or stay stable from high school to retirement ?, Dr. Rodica Damian of the University of Houston and a group of collaborators evaluated 1,795 people in adolescence and 50 years later. Their findings agree that personality has a stable component throughout life, but that it is also malleable. Continuity and change coexist. People who are most responsible at age 16 continue to be so at age 66. But, on average, everyone becomes more responsible, more emotionally stable, and more open to new experiences. This study is the first to be based on the same data source at both time points.

How is it possible to be yourself and change at the same time? In their book Identity and Change , psychoanalysts León and Rebeca Grinberg propose that identity is precisely the ability to feel oneself in the succession of changes that life confronts us with. The change implies accepting the unknown, the unpredictable, and an idea from the poet José Enrique Rodó (Motos de Proteo) comes to meet him: to reform is to live. —Eps

David Dorenbaum is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.