Labels

One of the most debated topics within the field of counseling is whether diagnostic labeling does more harm to clients than it does good. The reason for this controversy is connected to the fact that individuals receiving labels sometimes experience discrimination as a result. Some patients' symptoms worsen after diagnosis, as they begin to find their personal identity wrapped within their identified disorder.

This concept got me thinking about the labels that I regularly apply to myself. Here are just a few I use from a spiritual perspective:

Follower of Christ
Open-Theist
Inclusivist
Pacifist
Progressive
Wanna-be Mennonite (like Hauerwas)
Theistic Evolutionist
Amillinialist
Non-patriot

The unfortunate thing is that I regularly use these labels to grade myself against others and/or others against myself. In fact, I often catch myself disregarding people based on the labels they apply to themselves. For example, if someone I don't know really well comes up to me and says, "I'm a pretty conservative, reformed, Christian," my internal response will be something like, "Here comes some rigid, exclusivist, closed off theology." The odd thing is, many of my close friends and family members hold different theological positions than I do and yet I love them dearly. Because I actually know them as people and not as a collection of labels, I don't grade them so harshly.

The difficult thing about spiritual (or political, or whatever) labels, like diagnostic labels, is that they can't be thrown out. They help communicate something about us as people. We need language, otherwise nothing can be learned, discussed, or tested. However, labels do not get to the core of who we are. Just like a patient is not entirely defined by his or her diagnosis, I cannot be fully defined by qualifiers. There is something deeper going on inside of me (and you).

In the counseling relationship, therapists utilize a technique / orientation called "unconditional positive regard." UPR is a client centered concept that seeks to meet the patient right in their need. It withholds judgments and evaluations so that the client can work through issues without feeling overwhelmed by the risk of self-revelation. When I think of UPR, I think of the grace of God. I think of all those who I have evaluated and deemed unworthy; the same people for whom God still holds out hope. I think of all the times I have beat myself up, only to realize God's forgiving nature.

I guess the real questions are as follows: Can I (we) utilize labels to communicate pieces but not expect them to encompass the whole? Can I (we) give one another and ourselves the grace needed to experience healthy growth? While these questions may seem to lead to a simple venture of non-judment, adopting such a view of the self and others is truly challenging task. I pray that I (we) would learn how to leave the sorting of human hearts to God.

Peace,
Drew