>Do you believe that after a number of years that personality is set, or can it be changed? I'm not talking about brainwashing, etc, but rather how much of personality is beyond simple will power? There are theories - some would say facts - that the neuro pathways of the brain are so entrenched in certain directions based on experience and repetition, that it's impossible to change them significantly. Others contend that simply by acting differently, personality can be retrained. Like becomming religous and changing the way you act and, I guess, even think. The acting doesn't interest me as much as the thinking. That's much deeper down. Just curious what others thought and if anyone had any background that would shed light on this.

Personality changes. Set by circumstances. What happens in your life will redefine or refine it.

Example: You never visited a country but always heard that people from there are not nice. So when you cross people from that country visiting your place you never try to engage in a conversation with them.

That is until the day your daughter brings home her new boyfriend. And the boyfriend is from that country. After speaking a lot with him you realize that there are many interesting sides to his culture, what he eats, his religion...

So that will probably change the way you think about persons from other countries. How will that change your personality? You'll become more open to other cultures...