I think part of that is that people you used to know, as in family and people who knew you as a child or a teen will often fail to see you as you now are, and cannot see past what you once were. Most people who are stuck in social situations with friends and family that hold them back end up having to leave said circumstances to grow as a person.
Later on, if you return to their lives, they will not be able to see the accomplishments, physical changes, etc
They just see the same person they knew, and treat you the same.
Depending on the roads you go down this can be very visible. There are a lot of war veterans who now keep their family at arms length and very rarely associate with old friends. People think they are distant because they became arrogant jerks. Talking to a man who is now a leader of men, who has stared death in the face, as if he were still a boy, is a great way to end a relationship.
I think its the same mindset that prevents close people from developing. Humans are a social species with a pack order, like it or not. I can vouch for its existence. Alphas do not instinctively let a Beta become an Alpha, and Omegas in turn are going to always be picked on and kept down by the Betas.
The only way for a Beta or Omega to raise their rank is often to become a lone wolf. In other words, if your family & friends hold you back you have to distance from those people in order to grow.
If you go down that path, the rewards are great. You will however find that if you meet up with those old social circles again, you wont get a long as well, and will have little desire to have anything to do with them. You have to ask what is more important, the family you know, or what you can become?