Labels and distortions

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Avatar for CoquiCoin
3 years ago

Hello dear Read.cash readers. A wonderful day/night for you all!

I've been mulling over this week's prompt topic, Labels. I have several ideas that come to my mind when I think about them. And yesterday, I was talking about it with my son, and he gave me the idea of ​​approaching the issue from the side of negative labels and the concept of Cognitive Distortion.

We begin to label others since we were children. For example, I just need to remember about some of my school companions and realize that I think about many of them with a label. X the funny, Y the liar, B the shy, and so on. And we keep labeling people all the time.

But the problem is when those labels don't let us see further. Especially when those labels are negative. We tend to make judgments about people. And many times, we don't give them a chance. And that is when the distortions in our perception begin to appear.

Cognitive distortions and labels

So to start, let's go through the concept of what Cognitive Distortion means.

"Cognitive distortions are biased perspectives we take on ourselves and the world around us. They are irrational thoughts and beliefs that we unknowingly reinforce over time."

Source

Distortions can manifest themselves associated with various aspects, and one of them is when we put labels on others.

How many times does it happens that we meet someone and we are left with the first impression. He's unfriendly, he's arrogant, he's pushy, he's stupid. But the truth is that a person can't be defined by their behavior at a certain time. And that is precisely the problem when we label someone. We judge the person. And by doing so, we close ourselves off from the possibility of discovering the person behind the label.

And this usually happens to us in all aspects, from general to the most personal.

Photo by Mindspace Studio on Unsplash

General labeling

Polarized societies are an example of how we label people by their way of thinking in a general way. And Venezuela nowadays is a clear example of this. Here we have been totally polarized for more than 20 years when it comes to political ideology. The Escuálidos as former president Hugo Chavez baptized the people of the opposition and on the other side, the people that believe in the idea of ​​the so-called Revolución Bolivariana, the Chavistas. We have our labels for both parties.

And for years those labels have involved irreconcilable positions with awful consequences. Fights within families., siblings who have stopped talking, friends for years who are no longer friends, broken marriages by not sharing the way of thinking. And I'm not exaggerating, politics in Venezuela have come into our lives in the last 20 years. And the imposed labels prevent most from seeing further.
So it is obvious that the label we have imposed on ourselves by political thought has generated distortions in our way of relating.

Labeling others

When we label other people, especially if those labels are negative. We tend to make a judgment. And sometimes, it's as if we close the door in the face of that person.

And why do we tend to label people? Well, very simple, it's a shortcut of our mind to classify others. And thus determine which are the people who could be more similar to us when it comes to socializing. But this classification that our mind makes when we label someone, many times it's not very precise. Nor does it respond to our ability to empathize with that person.

I have consciously struggled with myself for a long time to try not to judge people. And although, I'm far from being perfect in that sense. Being aware of this is already a big step.

So my dear readers, and using us users of Read.cash as an example. Let us try not to judge and label others for a first impression or for any mistake they have made. We have to keep our values ​​intact and in that there isn't a discussion. But let's not judge others as if we were wearing blinkers. Let's not stay with a first impression. Let's give others a second chance, especially when our first impression could be skewed by a negative feeling.

Labeling myself

And as bad as it's to label others, it's to label ourselves. It can be even worse. The labels we put on ourselves can often be obstacles in our way to success. In my case, I'm much harder on myself than on others.

For example, I'm an Introvert. And I know that many times I judge my abilities based on that label. And although I work on it, I'm less open-minded when it comes to judging myself than others. But that doesn't mean that I'm not aware that I must fight to remove the labels that I impose on myself. Everyone except the label that I put on when I look in the mirror and say to myself, You're awesome.;)

And you are awesome too my dear readers and wonderful sponsors. Thank you so much to all of you!

If you want to participate in the Writing Prompt. You can read Jonica's article on Writing Prompt #11: Labels. To participate:

  • Write about Labels

  • Write 100% original content

  • Write at least 600 words

  • Submit your article to the community PromptlyJonica

  • Have fun!

My previous articles on the prompts:

P1- Freedom - What does Freedom mean to me?

P2 - Motivation - Why I'm using cryptos? - my motivations

P4 - Darkness - Five days in the darkness

P5- Questions - Too many questions

P8- Nature - A glimpse of nature in my tropical land

P9- Success - Success is not Final

Images credits on the caption. Lead Image credit, Photo by Nick Hillier on Unsplash

Until next time! ;)

August 5, 2021

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3 years ago

Comments

Guilty sometimes, I think most people are into it, human nature as they say. Though, I always remind myself to quit doing it. But, we must be responsible too, censor our speech, and keep those labels we put unto others in our mind.

$ 0.05
3 years ago

Yes, the problem is not the labels but what we do with them :)

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I admit I label my workmates based on how they look and how they act and often they are negative. I know it isn't right as I,myself too dont wanna be judge too. But it is human nature but I'm trying to work on it

$ 0.01
3 years ago

It may not be bad labeling them as far as you don't judge them by those labels. Many times we put names to our coworkers as a way to express sympathy or as a joke.;)

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Hello, interesting post. Regarding how to avoid placing negative labels on a person, let's be honest, it's impossible to avoid it. We do it very often with people in the government. Here the bottom line would be, how much does it affect me if someone places negative labels on me? We cannot avoid that people have negative concepts and place labels on us, but we can manage a high concept of our own image, so that this negative label does not affect us. Thank you for reading me.

$ 0.02
3 years ago

Thank you! And yes, the problem isn´t the label itself but how we let those labels affect us.

I'm happy to read you, and I'm always glad to find Venezuelan users here. And knowing you are @gertu13 sister even more. Saludos!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I have no problem with labeling, and "we" humans label others all the time. That's a fact. Labeling "in a good way" assists us with compartmentalizing circumstances and practices. However, the way that we mark individuals by their conduct and attributes can wind up restricting our interest in an individual.

$ 0.03
3 years ago

Exactly, the problem is not labeling. But rather letting labels affect our ability to relate to others.

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Cheers to that, Coqui! Good morning, my friend!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Good evening to you, my dear! I hope rains give you a respite! Stay safe :)

$ 0.00
3 years ago

thank you so much, coqui!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I am guilty of such labeling so I have to keep reminding myself not to assume and not to judge but maybe be wary and not to trust easily until I get to know the person better. For myself, I am a bit hard on myself most of the times. I'm still a work in progress.

$ 0.05
3 years ago

I'm also quite hard on myself, but I work on it. And as well with negative labels and not misjudge people. I think that deep down, we all tend to do it. But if we are aware, we can avoid falling into misjudgments.

$ 0.01
3 years ago

'The labels we put on ourselves', sometimes we could actually be the ones to tag ourselves when we fall into such minor problems....there is always going to be labels whether the ones we give to ourselves and the ones others give to us just because of how we are seen to be at that moment......the most important factor is how do we handle them?.

$ 0.02
3 years ago

Yes, the problem isn't the labels themselves, but how we let them affect us. Cheers!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Beautifully written. We are constantly looking for other birds of a feather to identify with. We are all humans, thus we can't help but label. But you are so right that once that affects our judgement, then it's detrimental to us being decent and respectable human beings.

$ 0.05
3 years ago

Thank you! :) You're right. The labels themselves are not what is wrong. It's how we let them affect the judgment that can prevent us from being a better person. Cheers!

$ 0.05
3 years ago

That's the irony of living in this judgemental society.. We tend to label and be labeled by others.. And sometimes we are being mislabeled... But the only thing we can do is ignore the negative labels.

I'm an introverted person as well. 😁

$ 0.05
3 years ago

Agree with you. We should try to ignore negative labels. And also, we should be open to seeing beyond those labels. Thanks for stopping by! :)

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I love that even as an introvert you are aware of your capabilities and you are working hard to overcome the bubbles of said labels. Though it isn’t necessarily bad, the most important thing is knowing who we truly are despite the labels that the world is giving us :)

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Agree, labels are not necessarily a bad thing. It's what we do with them that can be bad if we let them condition us. Thanks for stopping by!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

It seems that the labeling culture has become so prevalent in our societies. And even if the label is positive, some people tend to hold on with that, seeing the person just because he/she is "good". It doesn't take much effort to analyze a person when they have a label sticking out.

$ 0.03
3 years ago

You are right. Many times we also cling to positive labels. And that isn't good either because it clouds our judgment. And sometimes, that leads to great disappointments when we idealize the other person.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

We, at times, label people at a certain time. Further association with them will make you change your impression towards them.

$ 0.02
3 years ago

That's right, thanks for commenting!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

"...it's a shortcut of our mind to classify others." this is absolutely correct. In my case, it is easier to remember others when I label them on my mind. But I also work on trying to minimize labeling them and myself negatively. It's a constant work but getting better.

And you were right too saying the labeling makes us just stop there and not get beyond especially when our first impression of another is not pleasing, we just judge them and not try to make further step to get to know them better.

$ 0.05
3 years ago

Deep down, I think that the problem isn't the label itself. But in how we let this influence our capacity for judgment. And being aware that the way we label or classify people can affect our judgment is the first step to having a more open mind when interacting with others.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Ah yes, that's truly the downside, unless when we classify others positively, we tend to open our hearts to them and interact with them positively too.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Yes, it's true, but sometimes we also rely a lot on positive labels. And we are all human, and that sometimes brings disappointments. Have a nice weekend!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Haha, that's very very true and the cycle goes on. Enjoy yours as well :)

$ 0.01
3 years ago

We love to put labels on everything. It's our way of belonging. You're fat, you're skinny, you're small, you're tall, you're blonde and so on. We forget the names but not the labels. It's part of our culture. Like a nickname.

$ 0.05
3 years ago

That's right. And in my opinion, those labels are not bad. It's negative labels that make us judge or misjudge a person, the ones that we should avoid. Or at least not allow them to define our behavior with the person.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

I agree. We can't avoid being labeled but we can manage to be mature enough to prevent labels from disturbing us emotionally and taking us out of our peace.

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Most people try to judge/ label people when they first see them but we don't take our time to see who they really are. We easily judge and what we don't know is that one might actually be good and until we move closer to them, our guesses about them are wrong.

$ 0.02
3 years ago

Yes, many times for not taking our time. We end up label people and move on without taking the time to get to know them.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Labelling people in a negative way is hurtful, judging people would lead to misunderstanding or worse than that

$ 0.02
3 years ago

Yes, when we label negatively, many times we are misjudging the person.

$ 0.00
3 years ago

False judgment deludes us. It's a lesson learned today to not judge a person right away, not all first impression lasts. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful article, CoquiCoin 💗🤗

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Thank you, dear! Yes, false judgment deceives us. And many times, we fall into that error. So it's good to be a little more open mind and not rush into judging others. Cheers!♡

$ 0.00
3 years ago

This is a remarkable read. Quite informative too. Very well written article. Well done!

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Thank you! :)

$ 0.00
3 years ago

The way we're judged/labelled from childhood determines how our adult lives will turn out to be. What we need to realise is this label doesn't define us, sometimes it's more of a restriction that doesn't allow is thinking outside the box.

$ 0.02
3 years ago

Exactly, we have to not see the labels in ourselves as something restrictive. Thank you very much for coming and comment!

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Well written and informative as usual Eliana. I stay away from politics altogether, including not watching TV or reading news. It’s all brainwashing 😅

As for judgement… it took me most of my life to realise how judgement affects us. We judge and the we get judged. So I stay away from judgement as much as possible. Of course I slip every now and again, but as you have mentioned, being aware of it is very helpful 💙

$ 0.05
3 years ago

I do my best trying to leave politics out of my life, considering where I live. I try no to talk about it, and like you, I avoid the news related to this. But I can't sincerely say that it doesn't affect my life at all since it does. :(

I think to slip in judgment sometimes is unavoidable but be aware of it is what matters. Thank you for the kind words, my dear Monika! Hugs:) ♡

$ 0.00
3 years ago

Everyone is writing about labels and it’s effect on society today this is actually a huge topic

And kudos to you for this article boss I enjoyed it

$ 0.01
3 years ago

Yes, it's a huge topic because our social behavior is influenced by labels. Thank you for stopping by!

$ 0.00
3 years ago