Can it be bad to label yourself as SP?

[Helyna]

I think it can. It can keep you thinking negatively. If you really are SP, I can't tell you not to say so, but for me, it's probably better to say I'm not. I'm just socially anxious. I don't have the disorder. I'm too close to the edge, so calling myself SP can push me in the wrong direction.

 

[Psychedelicious]

treecakes

Maybe. It's also probably bad to convince yourself that you don't have something, which you probably have. You don't want to be in denial either. But I think that if you are not sure whether you have it or not you probably shouldn't convince yourself so. You don't want to go out seeking things you don't need as much.

 

[Hoth]

Depends on how you think about it. To me, it's just a shorthand label for who I am. I don't feel the slightest bit different from before I was aware of the label. All it does is allow me to explain to people who understand the term more quickly than describing how I behave and think. It allows me to join sites like this which wouldn't exist if there weren't a compact label to bring people together.

If you think of social phobia like a disease then that might lead to viewing yourself as a victim and feeling sorry for yourself, which isn't productive.

 

[chris87]

I don't know. It's seems like if you label yourself as having SP, you probably have it. It doesn't seem like labeling would be bad.

 

[jschuley]

I have been told that labeling is bad, because it gives me an excuse to behave like I do and not to try to be outgoing. However, I find labeling myself as social phobic gave me comfort, it's like I finally understand why I am the way I am, and it is a serious condition, it's not all on my shoulders. There is a reason for it, and I am not alone.