Labels are not only what we call ourselves in our heads or the tags that we attach to ourselves to describe who we think we are but also what the society imposes on us whether they are positive or negative. That means we put ourselves in boxes and try to define who we are, and we are what we think we are, and at the same time, we do the same process to others. Everyday, we use many labels without conscious thought, for example, the student, the teacher, and the physician create labels that come to our minds and help us to approximately determine who they are. In simple words, we create images of who those people may be, what they look like, and how they might act. While people attend to describe what others have, not what they are,
When we think positively about ourselves, like we are hard working or inspiring, we will be encouraged to achieve more and more since these positive words make us feel good about ourselves. If we believe in ourselves, we unconsciously take more risks that lead to self development and growth. Self encouragement helps us overcome the challenges, difficulties in our life, and minimizes the stress we feel when faced with the problems that we encounter on a daily basis, and that will make us more capable to deal with the hard situations. Moreover, we live up to the labels we attach to ourselves. Therefore, if we think we’re winners, even if we’re not, we will act and think like a winner until we eventually become winners. People who are satisfied and like themselves are generally kinder and have a positive outlook even in the bad situations, and that reflects on their internal calmness which means the people who think of themselves kindly are happier. Also, it would be impossible to categorize the information we process during our lives without the using labels like using "friendly" in our speech. But it's important to know and recognize that the people we label as black, white, rich, and poor may seem blacker, whiter, richer, and poorer merely because we've labeled them so. In addition, labels sometimes help the people how to adjust with the situation that they have been labeled because of it. For example, Nancy Mairs the author of "On Being a Cripple", talked about the English language and American society by including her life struggle with multiple sclerosis (MS) and how she adjusted with that disease. She begins the essay by talking about her sufferance in life with a difficult disease and why she refers to herself as "crippled." She believes that crippled is a more proper definition for her condition than other words like disabled, handicapped. She thinks that when she uses these polite terms for her condition, it makes
Her essay is arranged in such a way that her audience can understand her life - the positives and the negatives. She allows her audience to see both sides of her life, both the harsh realities that she must suffer as well as her average day-to-day life. According to Nancy, multiple sclerosis “...has opened and enriched my life enormously. This sense that my fragility and need must be mirrored in others, that in search for and shaping a stable core in a life wrenched by change and loss, change and loss, I must recognize the same process, under individual conditions, in the lives around me. I do not deprecate such knowledge” (Mairs, 37). Mairs big claim is that she has accepted herself and her condition for what is it, yet she refuses to allow her condition to define her. Through her particular diction, tone, satire, and rhetorical elements, Mairs paints a picture of her life and shows how being a cripple has not prevent her from living her life. She is not embarrassed nor ashamed of what she is, and accepts her condition by making the most of it and wearing the title with
In “On Being a Cripple,” Nancy Mairs. She hates to call her handicapped because she believes that hold her back. The author writes, “I certainly don’t like “handicapped,” which implies that I have deliberately been put at a disadvantage, by whom I can’t imagine (my god is not a handicapper general), in order to equalize chances in the great race of life” (21). In other words, she doesn’t want to call her handicapped, because she wants to live her life with equal chances even she’s not. Her positive attitude makes her more active. She’s trying to live a normal life with her disability. She hates being crippled, but she’s trying to get over it. If she had a negative attitude, she wouldn’t write about her own story. She wouldn’t do anything. I believe her positive mindset affects somehow to get rid of something that hold her back. She overcame the effects of her illness through positive attitude. Mairs and Jamison’s thoughts they have shaped their lives either positive way or negative
In the essay “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs, Mairs talks about her struggle with multiple sclerosis, or MS, which is a disease that affects the spinal cord, brain and optic nerves in your eyes causing to lose muscle control, balance and vision problems. Throughout the essay Mairs talks about why she lets the word “cripple” be the word that defines her condition. Mairs believes “cripple,” unlike other words, targets her reality. Throughout the essay Mairs presents herself as honest through her exquisite use of language, and very realistic outlook on life.
The power of labeling can be seen in the the name that we were given. The name we use affects the way people treat you. It can also affect the behavior of other and how you behave also. This concept is basically the reactions we get from people and ourselves aswell from just naming things.
People are not labels. For example, I’m not just a writer, or bisexual, or blonde, or smart, or an American. I’m me. The only me. Sure, each of those labels can be applied to me, but they do not define me. My nationality, as a label, is only important on official paperwork that I want nothing to do with.
Do you believe that a law should be made to make a restaurant place food nutritional information on all menus? In my stance of opinion a restaurant should not be made to post nutritional information. Food should be enjoyed the way it is, and not everyone would read the post, therefore, it would take up that space for no reason. People should be allowed to run their restaurants the way they want them, and no different. If you ordered a healthy meal the price would be higher than a regular meal.
Also a lot of researchers invested heavily to comprehensively investigating this perception while; at the same time chasing a hints in an attempt to elucidate how this concept affected average citizen. Accordingly, a lot of researchers eventually studies have been proven that the labeling theory were actually doing more harm than good than good in
Humans are a stereotypical lifeform. Disregarding all backgrounds and cultures, humans are constantly categorizing others subconsciously and blatantly. Due to past experiences and social observations, I have come to the realization that there is a way in which humans are taught how different societies define differences among different people and this is way that varies from culture to culture.
From society to family to media, external influences never seem to disappear from everyday life. These outward forces tend to leave a lasting impression on us for as long as we live. Because they are so prevalent in our daily lives, exterior factors will have a significant influence on us, specifically our sense of self and happiness. When defining our sense of self, it eventually comes down to how we interpret our individual self-image. In most cases, we do not truly know who we are from our own mindset. Therefore, we take into account the reactions that those around us have an influence on our actions and decisions. From these external effects, we create the persona of who we are. In his article, Immune to Reality, Daniel Gilbert explains
...l, our self-concept is multi-dimensional. We have three ways of perceiving ourselves, the private me, the ideal me, and the public me. The private me, is the way that we believe ourselves to be. The ideal me, is how you desire yourself, who you wish you were. Lastly, there is the public me, the way that we present ourselves in public, the face that we try to show others. Ego boosters and Ego busters affect us in everyway possible and affect the way we perceive ourselves to the world we live in.
Labeling theory is derived from the idea that people see themselves through the eyes of others. Individuals have different meanings set aside for similar situations. For example, society might define something as criminal, while other individuals do not. This is the case for several moral vices, such as marijuana, or the use of the death penalty as a method of punishment. When there are negative meanings and interpretations for actions, people tend to label others based on their “evil” actions.
Once we understand why we act in labeling people, we can work on eliminating the habit of labeling others. We can overcome it by promoting absolute approval, sympathy, and consideration. We can learn to observe and experience the world without judgment. We can remain detached from expectations and demands. We can learn to accept people as they are and will not cause them unnecessary pain.
However it is important to recognise that the criticisms of labelling theory are not straight-forward. The complexity of criticism is due to the diverse range of theorists’ stances within the labelling theory (Heidensohn 1989). Such criticisms will now be identified and
The portrait of yourself starts here. White and perfect, just like a new canvas that a painter is going to paint on. Instead of painting what the painter wishes to paint, others come around, and splatter their own paint on his canvas, different shades of colors, in clusters and saturations. These colors, not fitting right on the canvas, represents the portrait that the painter let others paint, for him. Now this painter can look at the canvas, and find the creative, beautiful art that is left behind by others and paint on top of this canvas to make it better than it already was. People often see themselves, and talk themselves down, just by the definition that others give to them. Self-image is not acquired by self-confidence and dignification, rather it is received by outsiders. The problem of self-image is a result of lacking confidence and positive self-talk. Often, bystanders will shoot each other down with harsh, defining words that the victim will never forget, and their canvas will often be forever changed.
Labelling theory was suggested by Edwin Lemert (1912- 1996) in 1951 and it was then developed by Howard Becker (b.1928) in 1963. This theory is related to the Social Action perspective. The labelling procedure includes deviancy and crime, certain acts are criminal because they have been labelled in that way, these labels are created by the powerful in society, such as the government. Frank Tannenbaum (1893- 1969) stated the self-fulfilling prophecy could occur when somebody is labelled as a 'criminal'. Self-fulfilling prophecy is when a prediction of something which then becomes a fact. If you have the label of 'delinquency' or 'crime' then the individual may find it difficult to get a job therefore earning less money which could result in them returning to crime. People in society will expect 'criminals' to behave in a certain way. The people with this label may find it challenging to fit into society. Moral panics is a definition which is given when a group of people become known as a threat to societies beliefs.