"Personality is your characteristic way of thinking and behaving. Do you generally experience big emotions or are you less reactive? Do you usually plan ahead or fly by the seat of your pants? Are you typically the person driving the conversation or do you often find yourself hanging back to observe during social situations? Importantly, personality is not black and white. Even though we often think about personality traits as categories (e.g., introvert vs. extrovert), traits actually exist on a continuum."
"When I was a teenager, I'd almost always end up in tears during holiday gatherings with my extended family. Someone would make a comment that hit a little too close to home, and when I tried to stand up for myself, they'd insist that I couldn't take a joke or was "too sensitive." After I graduated college and moved away for graduate school, I thought I had grown into a confident, competent professional."
Old environments and family roles can reactivate past personality patterns, causing regressions into earlier behaviors during reunions. People can experience emotional reactivity, reduced assertiveness, or quieter behavior when familiar dynamics are triggered. Personality traits exist on a continuum and naturally change across adulthood, so occasional slips do not erase long-term growth. Holiday stress and familiar role expectations increase the likelihood of reverting to previous patterns, but progress made remains real. Recognizing triggers, understanding trait variability, and applying coping strategies can help maintain gains while acknowledging that temporary regressions are a normal part of personality development.
Read at Psychology Today
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