When Labels Hurt, and When They Heal

"Labels, particularly when applied to human beings and their behavior, can have a surprisingly polarizing effect, regardless of the label's efficacy. Some people resist labels altogether, while others embrace them so entirely that the label itself becomes an integral part of their identity. Both extremes are tempting and deeply human. For many, avoiding labels feels like freedom, refusing to be reduced to a diagnostic code, a stereotype, or a box someone else can put you in."

"However, both approaches (in their extremes) miss the point. Labels are meant to illuminate, not imprison. They help us name reality so we can work with it, but they are not "ultimate reality" in and of themselves. Understanding that a dog is a dog, or a tree is a tree, serves as a helpful signpost and can help us engage with those phenomena appropriately, but they are not the essence of the dog or the tree."

"Our relationship with labels often depends on the era in which we grew up. Baby Boomers and many Gen Xers were raised in a culture that equated endurance with virtue. Problems were to be borne silently, handled privately, or overcome through sheer force of will. To invoke a label (whether "depressed," " ADHD," or " autistic ") sounded dangerously close to making excuses. Life was about grit, about standing up straight and carrying on. The implicit belief was that acknowledging difference or difficulty risked weakness."

Labels applied to people and behavior often polarize; some reject labels while others fully incorporate them into identity. Avoiding labels can feel liberating and prevent dissociation, while adopting labels can offer clarity, belonging, and a rallying banner. Both extremes are harmful: denying labels can ignore plainly present realities, and fetishizing labels compresses complexity into caricature. Labels should function as practical signposts that help engagement and healing without claiming ultimate essence. Generational upbringing shapes label attitudes, with many Baby Boomers and Gen Xers valuing endurance and viewing diagnostic labels as potential excuses or signs of weakness.

Read at Psychology Today