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I'm guessing (matter-of-factly) that you don't have a degree in psychology.

IIRC, there were two traits that don't seem to change over the course of one's life: gregariousness, and level of anxiety.

Traits other than those two can change. Classic example: an alcoholic who becomes sober.

An alcoholic that becomes sober is still an alcoholic, they are just in control over their alcoholism.

A rude person that becomes conscious of the way it comes across to act disrespectfully may still be an rude inside, but if he/she is in control of the disrespectful behavior then I count that as real change.

I'm a different person than I was ten years ago. Some things remained the same, a few things changed.

It's hard to quantify how "different of a person" you are. But if there's one thing reading psych literature taught me it's that traits like aggression and compassion (or lack thereof) are measurable and shockingly persistent in people over decades.

Circumstances, triggers, and incentives change wildly. The world is in flux. But people's attitudes generally are not.

There's a huge difference between "can't" and "don't." People can change.

I have a degree in psychology and I would love to know which studies you are referring to there because I am not aware of such well established facts.

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