A little discussed effect of therapy: it changes personality (2017)

Re:A little discussed effect of therapy: it changes personal... by gwd on Wednesday May 08, 2019 @08:58AM (#19858385)

I've always thought that "Neuroticism" was kind of a weird thing to include in "Personality". Sure, it's a long-term behavioral trait that typically doesn't change; but I wouldn't call that a part of who somebody is, any more than (say) an intense fear of spiders is a part of who somebody is.

To say that making someone less "neurotic" changes their personality is about like saying giving someone a prosthetic leg which allows them to walk again changes their personality. It may certainly change the kinds of things they do on a regular basis, but it didn't change the basic concept of self we commonly think of as "personality".

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Re:A little discussed effect of therapy: it changes personal... by jonahx on Wednesday May 08, 2019 @09:27AM (#19858594)

> Sure, it's a long-term behavioral trait that typically doesn't change; but I wouldn't call that a part of who somebody is

This seems like an excellent definition of "who somebody is"

> any more than (say) an intense fear of spiders is a part of who somebody is.

That, too, is definitely part of who somebody is. It is, eg, exactly the kind of trait used in novels or movies to convey something about a character. And it's something that others would notice and use to describe you in ordinary life.

How is that not part of who you are?

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