The different types of resistance to change are the result of our tendency to stick to habits and customs, to all those things that we know and that give us confidence. The problem is that "change is the only immutable thing" in our life, as Schopenhauer said, and if we don't accept it, we will end up developing maladaptive behaviors that could make us suffer or lead us to make bad decisions.
The origin of the different types of resistance to change
Our brain, to optimize its resources, has a tendency to save energy. This means that it tends to prefer stability and the familiar to chaos and change. In known situations it knows how to react, so it simply activates the predefined response templates. Change implies an alteration of that system and involves having to seek alternative answers. So we resist it.
This resistance, however, is temporary. We usually end up accepting change and addressing the new challenges it poses. But it's not always like this. There are times when we get stuck in the past, in the old patterns, and deny the change. This behavior is not functional because denying something will not make it go away, but it will eventually amplify frustration, sadness and anxiety.
Understanding where our resistance to change comes from is critical to overcoming it and responding more adaptively and intelligently. Therefore, we can find different types of resistance to change that we will probably implement at some point in our life:
1. Resistance to risk. When changes carry a high level of risk that we are unwilling to take, we develop strong resistance. This type of change forces us to leave our comfort zone, causing us to abandon security, therefore it generates a feeling of intense fear. Leaving a stable job as an employee to start a self-employed business, for example, can generate this kind of resistance due to the economic risk.
2. Resistance by attachment. We have a hard time accepting the changes in the interactions and bonds we have established. Therefore, when the change implies a transformation of the relational dynamic, it can trigger a strong resistance. The possibility that a close person we love moves to another country, for example, generates strong resistance because we assume that the encounters will be more sporadic and we fear that the emotional bond may weaken.
3. Cultural resistance. This kind of resistance to change stems from our culturally shared beliefs, values, or even prejudices and stereotypes. Our identity - or at least part of it - is also based on the social vision we share with a group of people, so if the change calls into question those values, expectations or beliefs, we will develop resistance as a defensive measure to protect that part of our essence. This is why such resistance is encountered when attempting to eradicate a deeply rooted folk tradition.
4. Resistance for antagonistic interests. Resistance to change is not always an unconscious process, it is sometimes the result of a logical and systematic analysis of the situation. If we consider that a change affects our interests, desires or goals, it is normal for us to react by resisting it. A drop in wages, for example, generates understandable resistance because it harms our interests.
5. Resistance due to misunderstanding. Many times, especially when change surprises us, we fail to understand what is happening. Indeed, most of the changes have "gaps" that we need to fill. If we fail to fill these gaps because we fail to make sense of the change, we will try to take refuge in the known, what makes sense to us. This type of resistance to change is common when a person is abandoned by his partner without being offered explanations that allow him to give meaning to what happened.
6. Resistance by denial of reality. Sometimes changes have unwanted consequences that are difficult to assume. If we do not have the psychological resources necessary to deal with these changes, we can put in place maladaptive defense mechanisms, such as denial, which consists of closing our eyes to what happens by denying the change. This kind of resistance to change is common in parents who refuse to accept that their children have grown up, so they continue to protect them by deciding for them as if they were still small.
7. Resistance due to uncertainty. Almost all changes bring with them some degree of uncertainty. If the uncertainty is too high and we cannot handle it, it can generate strong resistance. This type of resistance is common in people with more rigid thinking and without the necessary psychological tools to manage uncertainty. Moving to another country without an employment contract, for example, is an unacceptable possibility for those who cannot tolerate the uncertainty of change.
8. Resistance for overload. Even the most flexible and open people can experience resistance to change, especially as it builds up. We all have a tolerance threshold for uncertainty, if we experience too many changes in a short period of time, some important or vital, it is understandable that we feel psychologically overloaded and end up resisting any other change, however small or positive for us.
The 3 reactions to change: struggle, paralysis or adaptation
Although resistance to change can have different origins and explanations, our repertoire of responses to a transformation that directly affects us is very limited: we fight against change, we become paralyzed or we adapt.
1. Active resistance to change
In the face of a change that we do not like, our fight or flight response is usually activated. We can actively combat these transformations to try to reverse them or at least mitigate their impact. If so, our goal is to undermine the foundations of change to try and undo it.
But we can also take an active attitude by escaping change. This would involve keeping our habits, ways of thinking or relationships as much as possible in search of a new scenario that recreates what we already know. In practice, we escape from the place or relationship that has generated insecurity and instability to find another place or relationship in which we feel more comfortable.
2. Passive resistance to change
When passive resistance occurs, we do not engage in change in any way. We adopt a passive attitude, we remain silent, we do not express what we think or feel, we do not act. That passivity is the way to demonstrate our dissatisfaction with change and, in a sense, a hidden resistance to dynamize it.
This response basically responds to a situation of paralysis. When we are faced with a situation that scares us, there is not always a fight or flight response, sometimes we become paralyzed. It's like we want to hide and stay safe until the change has passed.
3. Adaptation to change
Changes can involve risks or even represent real threats. But on many occasions it is not in our hands to reverse them, so the best answer is to adapt to the circumstances.
This adaptation does not mean “undergoing change” but, first of all, trying to minimize its psychological impact so that it causes less damage. And secondly, try to find a positive side to take advantage of. After all, "when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are faced with the challenge of changing ourselves," said Viktor Frankl.
