A Dissection of Metamorphosis: Why Resistance to Change Breeds Stagnation ( Why is Change Necessary? )

Just an upload of an essay I wrote for school! I made a 100/full marks on it, though I honestly am not fond of it. Mostly posting for archival reasons.

Change operates as the circulatory system of human evolution: a relentless pulse pushing organisms toward adaptation or extinction. An arctic hare shedding its winter coat; a once vibrant city turned to a desolate wasteland after war. Consider the alpine edelweiss, a flower so stubborn despite its short life, it developed woolly white petals to reflect ultraviolet radiation and survive the harsh climates. Simply, change is required in all forms and facets of life, an inescapable truth. Whether it be moral, physical, social, psychological, cultural, etc. But arguably, the most important change is within the self. Survival demands transformation, and yet so often people cling to what’s familiar. 

Neural Cartography: Change in the Brain

A common misconception is that the brain is fully developed by age 25, solidifying fears and biases. According to The Journal of Neuroscience, “Development occurs for most children across all 10 major white matter tracts measured, and continues during the twenties in several association tracts, namely the inferior and superior longitudinal and fronto-occipital fasciculi” (Lebel and Beaulieu 10943). The brain never truly ossifies, and neuroplasticity persists throughout life. The brain will always find a way to change and rebuild itself if and when it is broken, much like the rest of the body; broken limbs relearn movement, and grief rewrites identity. To change is etched into our very nature as humans.

Far from humanity's Achilles' heel, our behavioral elasticity is, in fact, an evolved trait. As the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains, “adaptations are traits present today because in the past they helped our ancestors to solve recurrent adaptive problems.” Modern neuroimaging reveals this legacy in our basal ganglia, where dopamine rewards not just habit loops but novelty itself (Schultz, 2016). To resist change isn’t simply stubbornness; one could argue it’s evolutionary heresy. Going against the very biology of our meticulous brains.

Painful Resistance: Denying Change and Its Impacts

Stagnation is a sickness. Still ponds breed mosquitoes, not flowers, and so does the mind when left unmoved– like a piece of driftwood rotting on top of the water. Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare describes this as “rustout,” a stagnation-induced malaise that can quietly erode mental well-being: “It can lead to a significant decline in mental health, contributing to depression, anxiety, and a profound loss of one’s sense of purpose” (Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare). It’s a soul-leaching stasis– this sudden halt that leaves its victims sapped of any motivation. It parallels burnout in that regard; both intense griefs are driven by the need for regulated stimulation. Change brings this, and constant avoidance of it can be much like tickling yourself; you miss out on the pleasant 

Emotional stagnation calcifies the psyche like limescale in old pipes, a creeping rigidity that distorts pressure until the entire system ruptures. The Emotional Health Institute explains that suppressing emotions and avoiding change can cause internal tension, unresolved conflicts, and a decline in self-worth: “Suppressing emotions leads to more internal tension… Unresolved emotional triggers cause conflicts and misunderstandings… When we feel stuck, we often internalize it as failure” (Emotional Health Institute). Modern workplaces institutionalize this dysfunction under phrases like “toxic positivity”, a demand to repaint rotting walls rather than repair foundations. Victims of chronic suppression exhibit an intense lack of their sense of self, rendering them strangers in their own skin. Change helps build identity, unlike the idea perpetuated that it destroys it.

The Chance at a Restart: What Can Change Bring for Us?

Beauty chases after tragedy: hyacinths blooming from Hyacinthus’s blood, a phoenix rising from ashes, a child born from their dead mother. At every loss brought on by change, there is always this silent hope that sits at the bottom of your metaphorical Pandora’s box that things have the capacity to get better. Death’s in families can bring estranged relatives closer, and as mentioned prior, pain often reaffirms things. 

When thinking of change, art such as Spinario enters the forefront. Art has a way of capturing the more human side of things, which personal change very much is. You can quote as many psychological studies as you’d like, to get the point across, understanding vulnerability and the fears that come along with it is important when talking about change. The Boy with the Thorn, a short story cast in marble, is nakedly displayed for all to see. His expression, however, isn’t one of violent pain. Thorns hurt, and pain is always a telltale sign of some kind of change. Instead, he sits, carefully examining the damage done, lost in thought as he assesses himself. I bring this up as a more metaphorical example of change. Not only has the boy’s immediate physical body changed, but so has his mind; he’s focused on the pain in the moment, only aware then of the damage done. When changing as people, oftentimes it requires a lookover of ourselves, an internal autopsy of our very identities. Change will often hurt, and to insinuate that it’s easy is to be an emotional snake oil salesman. Nothing makes change easy except time.

The American Psychological Association explains that "post-traumatic growth is the theory that explains this kind of transformation following trauma" (American Psychological Association). Our bodies can relearn and grow positively even after change or trauma. No matter the type of change, there is always the possibility of goodness to come from it. That’s what makes it so worth it.

Works Cited

American Psychological Association. "Growth after Trauma." Monitor on Psychology, Nov. 2016, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/11/growth-trauma. Accessed 7 Sept. 2025.

Siebens, Sue. "Why Is It So Hard to Change? Understanding Resistance and Breaking Free." Emotional Health Institute, 3 Mar. 2025, https://www.emotionalhealthinstitute.org/post/the-struggle-to-change-why-we-stay-stuck

Accessed 7 Sept. 2025.

"Evolutionary Psychology." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/evol-psy/. Accessed 7 Sept. 2025

"Beyond Burnout: Are You ‘Rusting Out’ at Work?" Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare, 7 Aug. 2025, https://www.clatsopbh.org/2025/rustout/

. Accessed 7 Sept. 2025.

. Accessed 7 Sept. 2025.