Have you ever labelled someone, or been labelled, before?
Stop trying to convince me of a falsehood!
Because of my disability, I was unfairly labelled a great deal of the time.
First impressions and preconceived notions about disabled persons lead others to make snap judgments about me.
This may be especially true for those who live with disabilities, but I think it’s true for everyone at some point in their lives. We are surrounded with labels. We classify others (and ourselves) based on these evaluations. And the limitations imposed by such designations remain firmly planted in our minds.
You may be surprised at how often you use labels in a typical day. Along with giving names to the things around you and the days of the week, you also provide labels to the people you meet depending on your first impressions of them.
Humans have an innate need to classify everything from food to persons. Researchers have shown that classifying people into groups is an instinctual behaviour that develops throughout childhood. However, considering this aspect the human race has evolved in a way that may have disastrous consequences.
The issue is that these designations are nothing more than our own projections of reality. This reality, however, is influenced by biases and how we interpret the world. Therefore, when we apply a label to someone, we often form an inaccurate mental picture of them.
If someone bumps into your car, you could decide they’re a lousy driver in general. A colleague’s tardiness to a meeting might give rise to unfair assumptions about his or her work ethic. A person may be considered stupid if they make an error on an academic paper.
Is this, therefore, an accurate reflection of who they are? The correct response is, “No.” It’s possible that your co-worker was just having a poor day, or that the person who bumped into your car was merely in a haste.
Therefore, labels, despite their seeming harmlessness, may really cause damage. Negative preconceptions might stick around longer when they are labelled.
Furthermore, the defining characteristics of a person are not all that are captured by labels. Society places labels on individuals based on categories such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. These societal classifications may also affect how we see the world and ourselves.
A guy who has a physical disability like me for example, would have particular obstacles to enter a boxing club due to my impediments. However, that doesn’t mean I couldn’t box! Because of factors beyond your control, such as your gender, colour, or sexual orientation, a social identity may heap a mountain of pressure on you instantly.
When prejudice and hate are fuelled by a person’s or culture’s use of labels, the situation becomes very hazardous. Although, Labels help us make sense of the world, they may also bind us to incorrect assumptions that restrict who we can be.
Having been labelled at a young age may limit our opportunities and alter our self-perception as adults. Trauma may occur at any time in a person’s life and lead to negative self-labelling. Being raised by abusive parents, you may internalise the hurtful labels they called you and feel broken as a result. Confining ourselves with labels limits our potential. Young professionals who are labelled as “unexperienced,” “impulsive,” or “too naïve ” at work may be less likely to put forth their leadership potential.
A person’s self-description might become a limiting belief that influences their behaviour. If you consider yourself a failure, you may be less likely to work toward your own objectives. This would “prove” your self-evaluation to be correct. When you put limits on yourself by believing the labels you’ve given yourself, you effectively bind your hands behind your back.
As simple as it may seem to categorise anything, the real world is much more nuanced. No one descriptor can sum up who you are. The unique person you are is the result of several factors, including your personality and life experiences. You must, then, overcome your own and others’ characterizations of you and others.
How? Labels have less power over you once you comprehend, they exist. After that, you might start to question them and compare them to the actual world.
Knowing your labels and the ones you use to analyse the external world may help you overcome them.
Assume you’re interested in learning a language but are inhibited by uncertainty and anxiety. Perhaps it would help to figure out what’s giving you pause. Maybe you’d feel differently if you realised you were judging your potentials and capabilities based on a remark given to you by your high school French professor.
In order to break free of the label society has placed on your back, you must first have an understanding of yourself and acknowledge your labels. This action will alter your perspective on the world, allowing you to see people for who they really are rather than judging them according to your own standards. Break free, do it now!
