Labeling People: Why It’s Harmful and Why We Do It

In one sense, labels are helpful. If you’re hiking, you want to know whether or not the area you’re going to is labeled as safe. The same goes for food. If you walk into a restaurant and see a poor health rating label, you know you should steer clear.

Labeling things is helpful, but labeling people is harmful and degrading across the board.

In this article we’ll cover:

• What are labels
• Why do we label
• Why is labeling harmful
• How are labels used incorrectly
• How to end labeling

What Are Labels?

Labeling occurs when someone uses a small portion of someone’s personality or being and attributes it to their whole person.

We’ve all heard the story of someone doing something embarrassing at school and now they’re the “naked guy”. This may not be very common, but the mechanics still exist in the adult world.

Someone struggling with substance use disorder is an alcoholic, Someone takes a week away from work for mental health purposes and is now “mental”. Someone has a bad day and snaps at someone and now they’re a psychopath. 

These labels are harmful and they maintain hurtful stereotypes and hold people back from personal growth.

Why Do We Label?

It’s thought that labeling was created as a survival instinct. Humans had to evolve this skill to keep themselves safe from predators and stay away from harmful environments. While that may be the root of why humans label each other, it’s moved beyond that. 

There are a lot of reasons people label others:

• Out of fear: Labels like narcissist, alcoholic, tweaker, etc. can act as a wall. When someone is labeled as dangerous, weird, or unwelcomed, it’s easier to cut them out. This fear ultimately comes down to a misunderstanding of the person’s lifestyle or situation in life.
• Out of jealousy: Some people might attribute a label to someone because they have something they want. This is a petty practice and is an intentional sabotage of someone else's reputation.
• To separate: Labels can be used to create a partition between the labeled person and the label maker. This is similar to victim blaming. For example, someone might label another person experiencing the effects of childhood trauma as “psychotic” in order to distance themself from experiencing or addressing their own trauma. 

Whatever the reason for labeling someone, it’s a harmful practice.

Self-Labeling

Labels aren’t just developed from external sources, they can develop from the inside. Experiencing low self-esteem and ongoing difficulty can make people label themself as unwanted, a failure, or anything else. 

When you label yourself, the way you view yourself and the world changes. Negatively labeling yourself can discourage you from seeking the help you need. Counseling services help combat the negative effects of years of self-labeling. 

While in counseling you’ll talk about self-confidents and ways to improve your self-esteem. You’ll also learn healthy coping skills and ways to improve your overall mental health. 

Though the therapists at Inner Balance are experts in trauma care, we can help anyone wanting to feel better. If you struggle with labelling yourself (or others) in harmful ways, contact us today. 

Learn more about our general counseling services, and get started by reading our article about why you may feel negatively about yourself. 

Why is Labeling Harmful

Imagine how it must feel for your entire being to be squished into a box that’s too small. That's kind of what it’s like to live life under a label. Humans are multi-faceted and ever changing, and they need space and freedom to grow and develop.

Labels aren’t just harmful when used to someone’s face. When used behind someone’s back, labels can change how others view that person. It might not be obvious right away, but labels can affect people’s relationships with others.

Consider a person who has been labeled a failure. They’ll be less likely to try their hardest, learn more, and they’ll probably have low self-esteem. This may also affect the likelihood of this person seeking counseling since they may now believe that they’re a failure.

Everyone deserves to feel confident and happy. Harmful labels halt people from seeking help.

How Are Labels Incorrectly Used

It’s very common for people to label others by “diagnosing them” with mental health conditions. This is a kind of weaponized therapy-speak that erroneously claims a mental health condition. 

Something to consider is the misunderstanding of what these conditions actually are. Thanks to social media, people have a better understanding of various mental health conditions, but a lot of social media content misses the bigger picture of mental health.

It’s great that more people are learning about mental health conditions, but it shouldn’t be used to diagnose yourself or others. Diagnoses, treatment options, and next steps should be considered with the help of a professional, not an influencer.

Common Harmful Labels

These are common labels people often use:

• Narcissist
• Bipolar
• Psychopath
• Failure

It’s important to note that if someone is truly dealing with one of the above mental health conditions, it’s not ok to use that as a derogatory term, or as a way to label their entire personhood.

As someone who isn’t part of their mental health care, you are not qualified to diagnose someone. Even if you have a degree in psychology, you cannot diagnose someone who isn’t in your care.

Learn more about how harmful incorrect “therapy speak” or weaponized self-care talk can affect others.

How to End Labeling

Labeling is harmful in so many ways and we should be trying to eliminate them. Without labels, people are more free to pursue their goals and grow in ways that are helpful for them.

If You’ve Labeled Others

If you’re someone who often uses labels or misdiagnoses someone, work on practicing empathy. Consider how you would feel if someone deemed you to be a failure, psycho, or narcissist.

Consider how your words can affect how other people view the people you talk about. Another great option to consider is therapy. It can help you grow in your understanding of mental health conditions and improve your empathy.

If You’ve Been Labeled

Being labeled is hard. It feels bad, but at some point you have to realize that you are more than a label. You are a person who has many interests and personality traits. You are a person worthy of getting help, feeling cared for, and experiencing joy. 

If you’re someone who is suffering from being labeled and ostracized, know that you can find help with general mental health counseling.

Get Help at Inner Balance Counseling

Inner Balance Counseling is dedicated to providing quality care to everyone. You don’t need a formal diagnosis, or even an understanding of what’s going on. Just show up and start feeling better.

Request a consultation today and start getting help.