Why do We Give People Nicknames?
Do you have any nicknames for certain people in your life? Do you have a special way of referring to your boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse? Do you have a particular nickname that you normally use for your best friend? Why is that? Why do we insist on giving people nicknames?
Interestingly, this also applies to negative nicknames. People may sometimes make fun of others or “call them a name” not to show the positive importance that they place on a person but a negative importance. We may be identifying something unusual about another person’s appearance or some unattractive characteristic in their personality, but the fact is that person has still become important to us. They may be our favorite person to pick on, but even that negative appellation shows that they have earned a place of importance in our lives. Just remember that importance is usually assigned reciprocally. If they’re the “dork” to you, you’re the “jerk” to them.
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