The Multidimensionality of Labels
Labels can simultaneously free us and limit us. Since the very beginning, humans have developed complex thought through the process of language, and language has its origins in identifying things around us and within us and assigning labels to them. Labelling has helped us categorise, and separate one thing from another. There is a mathematical component attached to it as well, wherein the number of labels can help us avoid redundancy and find permutations and combinations that result in deeper, more profound answers that go beyond the surface into the layers of things.
So, are we defined by labels or do we give labels the meaning in relation to our experience, our perspective, our thoughts? Are labels subjective or objective? Why do we come up with newer labels all the time? Do they help us anymore?
These are valid questions to ask ourselves and others. The answer – like everything else – is multidimensional and labels, inherently, cannot function in isolation without associated factors involved.
Labels in Everyday Life
A label is a tool to explore, say like a torchlight or a microscope or a map. But a truth exists independently of the interpretation of its observation. We label a rectangular piece of wood or metal that is fitted into a wall that allows us to go in and out as a door. To a cat, a window in that very room also functions as a door. And if we can fit through it, then a window holds those two meanings as well. Similarly, a door, when not used to pass through but to communicate with someone else on the other side becomes a window.
However, to a cat who uses both objects for both purposes, but doesn’t have the language to define them with these finer distinctions, both a window and a door just are. And still, through experiential learning, and optionally human guidance, a cat can identify the word ‘door’ with going in and out, and a ‘window’ that’s always closed as a thing with which to observe and seek warmth.
So, what’s different there? Beyond just the functions of both a door and a window, it is the meaning we have assigned to them in relation to our interactions with both that lead us to label them as their respective names.
But again, doors and windows can be categorised in an umbrella term – passage. This way, doors and windows become part of a collection of passages that have an underlying, inherent quality but differing purposes. This category will include ventilation shafts, water taps, and straws. A door is a passage that is primarily used to move humans and animals in and out of two or more distinct spaces, but its secondary function is to facilitate the flow of air.
A window’s primary function depends on the existence of a ventilation system in a house. In a house that does not have any ventilation shafts, a window is the primary source of air. In a house that does not have an electrical system or any source of light, a window is also a primary source of light. In a house that has both, a window can provide both air and light, or either of them, or neither at all – merely existing as a decoration – to look outside the window if desired, and nothing more.
The point here is that even though we all have common labels for things, the meaning behind each label is wholly subjective, contextual and fluid. We may not even be aware that our definitions behind labels are subjective, and we may even assume that everyone has the same label definitions that we do. This is the tricky thing about labels!
The Power Dynamics Behind Labels
Windows can also have more specific functions that are removed from their everyday use. For example, in a focus group setting, a one-way window becomes a vehicle for an observer to study the behaviour of their subjects, who might not be aware of its existence as anything other than a mirror that reflects their own image back to them. This way, a window becomes a door that facilitates the passage of a silent power dynamic, and a passage for one-way transfer of information.
It also creates two separate interpretations of reality for all those involved on either side of the window. For the observer, a focus group is more than just an interviewer asking questions to a group of people to know their thoughts and feelings – it’s a clinical examination for the purpose of a scientific study or marketing research – which in turn can be either altruistic or profit-oriented.
A window – through its multifunctional purpose – becomes a doorway to many possibilities and a catalyst for branching consequences.
Labels in Therapeutic and Diagnostic Contexts
Labels used to learn about the human experience function in a similar manner. A diagnostic label that is well understood by a practitioner but unexplained to the person identified with the label can establish a power differential that can skew with meaning making, thus interfering with clear communication.
A label that is ill-defined can lead to misreading of a situation, action, intention. This misreading can be the cause for poor decision making, or worse, decisions that can cause harm – such as a misdiagnosis followed by an erroneous prescription that has side effects that could potentially alter behaviour or decisions that have a serious impact on their life and their loved ones.
The domino effect of mislabelling is complex and complicated, and can lead into various tangents much more than is given the time of day to be understood.
Creating and applying labels with research, empathy, and compassion can make a big difference in the lives of the people being labelled.
Labels and Identity
A label – for us human beings – can also be a way for self-liberation, and a mislabelling can cause self-alienation. Take pronouns for example. One might, at a glance, say, “what’s in a pronoun?” A pronoun can mean nothing to one person, and everything to another. Just like a window, a pronoun – and its associated label that it signifies – can define an intrapersonal and an interpersonal relationship.
A non-binary client whose preferred or required pronoun to use when referring to them is they/them/theirs, is doing so, because these words spark connections in the brain, which in turn can trigger memories or feelings. These memories or feelings can directly impact the way that client behaves or presents themselves or processes a question or communicates information. It takes a fraction of a second, where an unconscious chain reaction of a mislabelling can lead a person to have unsettling flashbacks and feeling small and unsafe. These can well up experiences that might have nothing to do with a current situation, but will absolutely impact how they perceive and engage with reality. As a result, this client might not find themselves to be on an equal footing with their practitioner, which could, in turn impact how forthcoming or comfortable they are in bringing their full selves to the conversation.
How this applies to our work at Transform Together
How we use labels really does matter. Labels shape how we think of and categorise our experiences, how we make sense of the world, what we think and feel about ourselves and how we acknowledge each other. Through our work together at Transform Together, we consistently look for meaningful connections. Labels – and pronouns – are a very powerful tool for connection. If used with thoughtfulness and care, labels can give all of us the chance to be seen authentically and make us feel like we belong.
