names

وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ كُلَّهَا ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَٰؤُلَاءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

After this he taught Adam the names of all things. Then He set these before the angels and asked, "Tell Me the names of these things, if you are right (in thinking that the appointment of a vicegerent will cause disorder)".

Quran 2:31

"Nomenclature is the means by which human mind grasps the knowledge of things. Hence, the whole information of man, in fact, consists of assigning names. for things. Thus, teaching Adam the names of all things was meant to impart their knowledge to him."

قَالَ يَا آدَمُ أَنبِئْهُم بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَلَمَّا أَنبَأَهُم بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ

Then Allah said to Adam, "Tell them the names of these things." When Adam told them the names of all those things, Allah declared, "Did I not tell you that I know those truths about the Earth and the Heavens which are hidden from you? I know what you disclose and what you hide."

Quran 2:33


Once you got a name for something, you get power over it. You can start to talk about it. And that vocabulary gives you power. WE call this Rumpelstiltskin Principle.

Eg: What's the little thing on the end of your shoelace ?
Aglet: The purpose of an Aglet is pretty much like the whipping at the end of the rope. It keeps the thing from unwinding. Now you've a place to hang that knowledge.

Symbolic labels gives us power over concepts.

The essence of every psychotherapy is words. The psychiatrist listens to the words of his patient, asks questions and ultimately defines the experiences of the other. According to Torrey, the naming in itself is already a therapeutic act. The patient’s anxiety decreases thanks to the fact that a respected and trusted specialist has shown that he understands what is the matter. Torrey calls the effect of this linguistic deed ‘the principle of Rumpelstiltskin’ and ‘the magic of the right word’.Naming problems is one of the most important principles in all forms of psychotherapy. The identification of the problem is a signal to the patient that he is not alone with his illness, but that there is someone who understands him. Moreover, the name of the psychological problem promises an opportunity of finding a cure because if it has been named, it has usually been brought under control. The complaint is mentioned by its full name and with therapeutic directives in the
DSM
, the reference book of psychiatrists.