What are the cause and effect of labeling people?

Question

Such as labeling others as geeks, freaks, jack-***, weirdo, gothic and etc.

Answer 1

It is impossible to individually know everything about everyone, so people created labels as shortcuts to identifying possible conflicts. Thus, if a geek sees a group of football players, they understand that it might be better if they take a longer route or a detour.

The affect of lableing is that people can actually start to believe that the label accurately reflects the totality of that person, rather than seeing it as a broad generalization. A geek might be a mad party-goer; a jock could be well-educated and articulate; a weirdo could be very personable and friendly. Labeling essentially limits the kinds of people we associate with, and those limited associations can limit our advantages and perspectives, in ways that can actually make us a 'bigot', yet another label.

It is not the labeling that is the problem (we all do it, to some degree) it is in the sticking with that label where problems occur.

Answer 2

That person may start to identify them self as being the label.

Answer 3

Isolation, depression, and suicide.