Can people truly change, what factors can cause them to see life differently?

I feel society doesn’t give one another a chance to grow and be ourselves that’s why I’m very thankful for the individuals who have created fluther, this collective where quite frankly, people can ask questions and be able to explore their curious nature. Going back on my question, I was watching an interview not to long ago on an individual I feel in my heart that can do great things if he can put the focus and assertiveness in. He was expressing that society only wants people to do certain things to further strengthen certain qualities of their character, instead of allowing them to express themselves in different ways. He gave the example of where it is expected of him to mess up, have the media glorify in it for sometime and have the media to continuously await until he messes up again, if he decides to invest in a foundation or help at-risk children and follows through with the intention, there would be little to no news coverage on it as the media will deem that it’s not in his character. Why does society have to be so one-sided, if certain things were modified we can change the direction of where life is heading, instead of glorifying the negatives of the human condition.