Can Personality Change Through Therapy?

Therapy has lost some of the ambiguous reputation it once held in popular culture, seen either as the haunt of ‘mentally disturbed’ young adults or ineffectual, money-making hogwash.

Statista reports that around 60 million adults sought treatment or counseling for mental health problems in 2023-24 (Statista, 2025). Even many who did not seek help cite affordability and accessibility as barriers.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has witnessed an alarming surge in mental health concerns. Work-life balance has taken on new meanings, frustrating people who cannot attain it, and health anxiety is crippling people who once lived with high spirits. These changes have brought therapy to the forefront as an agent that can tackle roadblocks to mental and emotional stability.

However, a sizable section of people believes that some problems in life are deeply connected to personality issues. Some people are just predisposed to getting stuck in toxic relationships or genetically likely to develop addiction. Hence, therapy cannot help them.

Or can it?

Some Traits Are Easier to Change Than Others

A 2025 study in Communications Psychology showed that interventions aimed at changing personality can impact emotional stability and extraversion (Küchler, G. et al. 2025). These interventions may vary in specificity, from psychoeducation and coping strategies to self-reflection. The impact is visible in younger as well as older adults.

Many other studies also indicate that traits such as emotional stability may be more amenable to change than deep-rooted sadism or dishonesty.

A BBC experience-based article discusses how a woman claimed to change her personality in six weeks by basing her work on the Big Five model. Again, the greatest impact was on neuroticism. Her approach was self-driven therapeutic techniques, such as gratitude journaling. Her results were not groundbreaking, but they were present. However, bear in mind the anecdotal nature of such evidence.

Unraveling Physical Reasons for Personality Challenges

What if someone’s personality problems have a real, tangible physical cause? It stands to reason that eliminating this cause should help bring the desired personality changes.

Any new parent will tell you of the evils of sleep deprivation: it turns the most pleasant people into irritable, impatient creatures. Prolonged stress of any kind can make us less productive and poorer at coping with new threats.

Some possible reasons may be more serious. Injury to the brain is known to alter personality. A 2025 Cureus report recounts how patients with brain tumors have presented with progressive personality changes, including apathy and emotional lability (Manqaryos, B., et al., 2025).

Mental health professionals who wish to understand these dynamics better often participate in advanced courses that dig deeper into patients’ psyches. Virtual classrooms have made it easier to manage continuing education. For example, a nursing practitioner may choose to pursue psych NP programs online to learn to identify if physical and psychiatric conditions may be linked.

Cleveland State University observes that these learnings can help professionals appreciate the impact of psychological, sociological, and cultural processes on the mental health of adults.

Thus, you are more likely to benefit from working with such professionals, whether your personality issues are chronic or episodic. Therapists with these competencies are equipped to handle problems emanating from concerns like substance abuse and intergenerational mental illness.

Over time, dedicated efforts that address the physical (and environmental) causes behind the personality issues will reap results.

Willpower and Openness Are Non-Negotiables

While we can find hope in the evidence suggesting that therapy can change personality, having the required willpower and being open with your therapist will be crucial. Not sharing deep-seated fears and apprehensions that affect your everyday behavior will impede the therapist’s efforts in helping you.

For example, narcissistic personality disorder is widely considered difficult to treat (Weinberg, I., & Ronningstam, E., 2022). People with this condition may feel a sense of entitlement and develop exploitative relationships with others. The primary obstacle to changing these behaviors is that the people with this disorder don’t acknowledge it.

It is possible to change our personality to some extent temporarily by acting to increase a particular trait. So, while reducing narcissism forever may not be possible, therapy can help people increase empathy (Mitra, P., et al., 2024).

New research also shows promise in transference-focused therapy, an approach in which the relationship between a patient and their therapist becomes the change agent (Bird, J., & Caligor, E., 2024).

Change is Possible, If Gradual

Therapy has advanced in numerous ways, bringing us insightful strategies for a more fulfilling life. Changing personality through therapy can be difficult, but it is certainly possible. It becomes a stronger possibility if you sustain dedication and commitment, and also have support from trusted people in your life.

The initial step can be the hardest. It exposes you to apprehension, skepticism, and stigma at once. Focusing on the results can be a good way to get started: both personal growth and professional rewards. It also helps to see the change process as an investment in yourself. It is not a weakness or failing but a display of strength and self-awareness.