How to Stop Labeling People
Think about how being labeled would affect you., Consider why someone might act the way they do., Ask for your friends to help you., Imagine how labeling might affect someone's life., Remember that a person is more than a label., Focus on what you...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Think about how being labeled would affect you.
Taking a few moments to imagine how being labeled by others would affect your life is a great way to understand the impact your own labels could have on someone else.
Whenever you notice yourself inappropriately labeling someone, try to think about how you would feel if they did the same to you.
Knowing how harmful being labeled can be, you may find it easier to avoid labeling others in the future.
Imagine if someone labeled you as being “angry” and treated you differently because of it.
Consider how you would feel if someone labeled you as a “liar,” even though you aren't one. -
Step 2: Consider why someone might act the way they do.
You won't always know why someone is acting in a certain manner.
It can be misleading and possibly harmful to apply a label to someone if you don't fully understand the reasons for his behavior.
Always try to avoid labeling someone, especially if you aren't sure why he behaves the way he does.For example, you might meet someone for the first time and he acts very short and coldly towards you.
You may be tempted to label him as distant or grumpy; however, he may have just had his car towed before you met him, and is usually very pleasant.
Maybe your neighbor ignores you sometimes when you say hello in the morning and you think he is rude.
You might later find out he has a hearing problem and simply didn't hear you. , It can be difficult to notice when you are labeling people if you are just beginning to put an end to the habit.
Asking your friends to help you notice when you are labeling others can be a big help.
Your friends can help you notice when you are applying labels to others.
Try working together with your friends to help each other stop labeling people., Although labels are just words, they can have serious effects on a person's behavior and can change how people are treated.
Before you label someone, try to imagine what effect that label might have on her life or think about how she would feel if she heard you had labeled her.For example, if you label someone as being “untrustworthy”, others might also view her in the same way.
This person may then be treated unfairly because of the inaccurate and harmful label.
Maybe you've incorrectly labeled a neighbor as being “scary” and try to avoid her.
This can needlessly cause her to feel unwelcome or make her worry that something is wrong with her. , When you encounter someone who has been labeled or you have labeled him yourself, remember that he is more than just that label.
Human behavior is complex and a simple label won't capture the entire personality of an individual.
Always remember that the people you meet are people first, not labels.For example, someone who has schizophrenia may have the label “mentally ill”.
While he has an illness, he is also more than that illness and deserves the same respect you'd give to anyone else.
Someone who needs a wheelchair may be labeled as being “disabled." Try to think of him as a “person with a disability,” not a “disabled person.” , It can be easy to look at others and see what separates them from yourself; however, focusing on what you have in common with others can go a long way in cutting down on the amount of labels you apply to them.
Always remind yourself of the similarities you share with others, not your differences.
At the end of the day, we're all people, with similar wants and needs.
Remember the person has a family, goals and aspirations, and challenges, just like you., If you find yourself gossiping about other people, try to stop and shift the focus of your conversation.
Gossip can easily create more labels for the people you are discussing.
Avoid gossiping to help reduce the amount of labels you create and place on others.Gossip will generally lead to harmful and inaccurate labels.
Always try to represent a person as accurately as you can during a conversation about them. , Maybe you've already labeled a person or group of people negatively.
A good way to challenge those labels is to get out and experience them first hand.
You'll likely find that your labels weren't accurate and that there are plenty of great qualities that you've missed because of them.
Try going out and challenging your preconceived labels to discover the real character of a person or group of people.
Some typical preconceived notions you might have without even realizing it include gender labels (e.g. "She's emotional because she's a woman," or "She's a bad driver because she's a woman."); age labels (e.g. "He's an old man so he's probably racist," or "He's just senile."); labels based on race or nationality (e.g. "She's Asian so she's probably a terrible driver."); and so on. -
Step 3: Ask for your friends to help you.
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Step 4: Imagine how labeling might affect someone's life.
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Step 5: Remember that a person is more than a label.
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Step 6: Focus on what you have in common with others.
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Step 7: Avoid gossiping.
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Step 8: Challenge your preconceived notions.
Detailed Guide
Taking a few moments to imagine how being labeled by others would affect your life is a great way to understand the impact your own labels could have on someone else.
Whenever you notice yourself inappropriately labeling someone, try to think about how you would feel if they did the same to you.
Knowing how harmful being labeled can be, you may find it easier to avoid labeling others in the future.
Imagine if someone labeled you as being “angry” and treated you differently because of it.
Consider how you would feel if someone labeled you as a “liar,” even though you aren't one.
You won't always know why someone is acting in a certain manner.
It can be misleading and possibly harmful to apply a label to someone if you don't fully understand the reasons for his behavior.
Always try to avoid labeling someone, especially if you aren't sure why he behaves the way he does.For example, you might meet someone for the first time and he acts very short and coldly towards you.
You may be tempted to label him as distant or grumpy; however, he may have just had his car towed before you met him, and is usually very pleasant.
Maybe your neighbor ignores you sometimes when you say hello in the morning and you think he is rude.
You might later find out he has a hearing problem and simply didn't hear you. , It can be difficult to notice when you are labeling people if you are just beginning to put an end to the habit.
Asking your friends to help you notice when you are labeling others can be a big help.
Your friends can help you notice when you are applying labels to others.
Try working together with your friends to help each other stop labeling people., Although labels are just words, they can have serious effects on a person's behavior and can change how people are treated.
Before you label someone, try to imagine what effect that label might have on her life or think about how she would feel if she heard you had labeled her.For example, if you label someone as being “untrustworthy”, others might also view her in the same way.
This person may then be treated unfairly because of the inaccurate and harmful label.
Maybe you've incorrectly labeled a neighbor as being “scary” and try to avoid her.
This can needlessly cause her to feel unwelcome or make her worry that something is wrong with her. , When you encounter someone who has been labeled or you have labeled him yourself, remember that he is more than just that label.
Human behavior is complex and a simple label won't capture the entire personality of an individual.
Always remember that the people you meet are people first, not labels.For example, someone who has schizophrenia may have the label “mentally ill”.
While he has an illness, he is also more than that illness and deserves the same respect you'd give to anyone else.
Someone who needs a wheelchair may be labeled as being “disabled." Try to think of him as a “person with a disability,” not a “disabled person.” , It can be easy to look at others and see what separates them from yourself; however, focusing on what you have in common with others can go a long way in cutting down on the amount of labels you apply to them.
Always remind yourself of the similarities you share with others, not your differences.
At the end of the day, we're all people, with similar wants and needs.
Remember the person has a family, goals and aspirations, and challenges, just like you., If you find yourself gossiping about other people, try to stop and shift the focus of your conversation.
Gossip can easily create more labels for the people you are discussing.
Avoid gossiping to help reduce the amount of labels you create and place on others.Gossip will generally lead to harmful and inaccurate labels.
Always try to represent a person as accurately as you can during a conversation about them. , Maybe you've already labeled a person or group of people negatively.
A good way to challenge those labels is to get out and experience them first hand.
You'll likely find that your labels weren't accurate and that there are plenty of great qualities that you've missed because of them.
Try going out and challenging your preconceived labels to discover the real character of a person or group of people.
Some typical preconceived notions you might have without even realizing it include gender labels (e.g. "She's emotional because she's a woman," or "She's a bad driver because she's a woman."); age labels (e.g. "He's an old man so he's probably racist," or "He's just senile."); labels based on race or nationality (e.g. "She's Asian so she's probably a terrible driver."); and so on.
About the Author
John Ellis
Experienced content creator specializing in hobbies guides and tutorials.
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