Global Labeling: An Inability to Look beyond Circumstantial Evidence
We all label things in our life. Things that cause us pain or discomfort are bad. Things that bring us happiness are good. Time spent with loved ones is enjoyable, while time spent doing a task that we dislike is unenjoyable.
Labeling is natural and, at least to some extent, required for us to make sense of the world around us. However, when we blow that ability out of proportion to the situation, we create negative scenarios and views that ultimately exacerbate existing anxiety and create more. Global labeling, sometimes called mislabeling, is the process of basing a characterization of someone on a one-dimensional representation of their character.
The One-Dimensional Cutout
Global labeling occurs when we let one aspect of someone’s behavior color our perception of their entire character. A boss might become an ignorant jerk. A coworker could become someone who slacks off and refuses to work. Someone who cuts us off in traffic must be a complete waste of oxygen.
Many problems exist with this situation and they all stem from a couple of factors. First, we are assuming that the entirety of a person’s character is a particular way based on a single aspect, or perhaps a single interaction with that individual. This blinds us to the fact that the people in our lives, even those we might only interact with tangentially for a brief moment in our lives, are driven by a multitude of causes and conditions, characteristics, and emotions.
No one is truly a one-dimensional cutout, but when we focus on only the negative aspects, it allows us to believe that this is the case. It also leads to an amplification of existing anxiety and even leads to stereotyping and prejudice. When turned inward, this type of thinking becomes self-destructive and dangerous, leading to a negative self-view, depression, even more anxiety, and other problems.
This type of thinking can lead to changes in behavior, as well. For instance, if you aren’t able to make it to the gym, the frustration can make it easy to turn to junk food – after all, if you’re always going to miss the gym (a label based on a single experience) then why bother at all?
How to Break the Cycle
Breaking the cycle of global labeling can be challenging, but it can be done. It requires one thing – the willingness to suspend judgment. This will require that you make space between an action on your part or interaction with someone else and your judgment of that action or interaction. During that pause, ask yourself a few questions:
Is my view an accurate depiction of what occurred?
Have I looked deeply into the action or interaction?
Am I basing my characterization on a single facet of someone’s personality?
Am I negatively labeling myself or someone else without the appropriate context?
Am I considering the other person as an individual or am I lumping them in with a wider group?
With time, patience, and the realization that this is what is occurring, you can begin to make changes.