The Dangerous Game of Labeling a Child

Children are like sponges and tend to absorb everything we adults say and do. It imprints to their memories and contributes to how they react, respond, and behave. This is why labeling a child can have damaging ramifications, leaving the child hindered and maladjusted.

From a child development and psychology point of view, it is commonly known that if a child hears a negative label attached to them, they will eventually believe the label to be 100% true, and they will fall into line with the behaviors associated with that label. In other words if you label a child as "bad" and all the child hears is that they are "bad", it trains their mind to believe they are indeed "bad", and in return will display more behaviors associated with their understanding of what a "bad child" is.

This is why adults need to be sensitive and aware of how they verbally address and speak with a child. Negative labels can create problems where no problems may have been. It can negatively impact a child's self-esteem and create situations that will lead them on a downward spiraling path, predisposing them to a life that may have been different had the labeling never occurred.

Another good example of negative labeling would be when an adult labels a child "dumb", and all that child hears about themselves is that they are "dumb". This child will learn to believe they truly are "dumb", and you will find them giving up on tasks, not challenging themselves, and eventually not trying at all. There are no "dumb" children, and every child can learn. The problem is that each child has a different learning style and pace for learning. Also, some children may be better in one area of learning and not so good at others. Unfortunately, today's educational system has changed from the days where that was the philosophy, and mostly because of lack of funding. Many schools are forced to buy into educational programs that do not take into account all the different learning styles of children, and therefore, some students are left dangling in the wind because the curriculum does not take into account their learning pace and style.

Labeling is very common in our society, and what it does is allow people to pass a pre-conformed idea about a child even before they have had the chance to get to know the child. This type of labeling is especially true amongst our teenage population. And because adults get away with labeling children, other children learn that it is okay to label those they deem different as well. So, it becomes okay for peers to label other peers, and this causes much conflict in the school setting. Common labels like jocks, nerds, Goths, preps, and more are used to label students. However, these labels also come with attributed and expected behaviors, and sometimes those pre-determined behaviors are not part of the child's norm, but it is assumed they are that way because of the labeling. A great movie that depicts the effects of this type of labeling would have to be the 80's hit "The Breakfast Club", which brings 5 students from each of the commonly labeled cliques together for Saturday detention. They all enter the library with preconceived notions due to the labels each of them are associated by, and by days end, they learn that there is so much more to each of them.

The main danger of labeling a child is that you may miss out on knowing the true potential of that child; because they will learn to conform to the behaviors associated with the label they are given. It can also redirect and script the path of life they choose to lead. So, we adults need to be careful when choosing the words we use to refer to a child.