People tend to use labels to define themselves in society because of the need to conform typical for everyone without exceptions. Such attempts usually have severe consequences when applied to others, especially family members. For example, in the book “Boy Meets Boy,” written by David Levithan, one of the main characters, Tony, suffers from the religious beliefs of his parents conflicting with his sexual orientation. They are unwilling to understand that, as the boy claims, this circumstance will not prevent him from living a full and happy life. On the contrary, they put more restrictions on their son’s communication hoping that these measures will change him. In other words, they label his tendencies as inappropriate and start the fight for normalcy as it is viewed by them. The intention to break through the established limits ultimately leads to success, but this case seems quite optimistic. Not all people can consistently follow their own course and destroy the barriers created by others who see their sexuality as a defining personality factor.
The so-called labels also have a tremendous impact on one’s views of themselves, which can be damaged if a problem is not solved as easily as in the case of Tony. People using this method to regulate others’ relationships in society unknowingly harm the self-image of affected persons. For instance, the ex-boyfriend of Paul, Kyle, tells everyone at school after their break-up that his partner tricked him into being gay. This occasion indicates the desire of Kyle to claim his belonging to the society of other people he considers worthy. Clearly, gays are not among them, as follows from his deeds, and boys like Paul might as well start feeling they are different in a negative sense. These effects are unacceptable from the perspective of one’s mental health, and labeling, in this case, can be viewed as an instrument to adversely affecting one’s confidence and self-esteem.