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The concept is popular in the media and philosophy that to understand a thing, one should have a name for it. In Star War it is widely known with "Named must your fear be before banish it you can", said by the character Yoda. I'm looking for a term widely used in cognitive science in general, not just in psychology of fears. It would be the opposite state of mental block:

A mental block is an uncontrollable suppression, or repression of painful or unwanted thoughts/memories. Also can be an inability to continue or complete a train of thought, as in the case of writer's block. In the case of writer's block, many find it helpful to take a break and revisit their topic.

All questions asking for share this phenomenon, because without knowing the correct keyword it is hard to advance in searching for literature. Likewise, this question is a meta-question.


Related:
• What is the term for the "knowing what you think but can't explain it" phenomenon?
• Is there any evidence that language is the limit of the world?
• Nation, How Large a Vocabulary is Needed For Reading and Listening?

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    I am not sure such a phenomenon exists to be honest. From personal experience and from what I have learnt through formal training is that you don’t necessarily have to name your fear but understand it and embrace it in order to overcome it. You need to work through your fear in order to do this (Is your fear warranted? Why? and all other questions need working through thoroughly) which can be uncomfortable but once you have mastered it you can conquer the fear.
    – Chris Rogers
    Commented Jun 23, 2018 at 9:01
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    Actually "naming" here means to acknowledge your emotion. For example, in my recent therapy session, I make a lot of assumption and projection to understand the problem. But they simply say that I was just afraid to confront the situation, and everything makes sense.
    – Ooker
    Commented Jun 23, 2018 at 12:33
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    This question doesn't make sense. What yoda is referring to is to recognize the problem, grasp the bull by the horns and deal with it, akin to Bushido, the way of the warrior. Blocks must be identified before they can be dealt with. If you can put a label on it, that means you've found it, recognized it and understood it. Now comes the time to deal with it. And of course, the largest block that science rookies face is not knowing what to look for, or even more accurate, what not to look for. Any of my ~1k answers on SE can be found on the internet, it's a matter of filtering the garbage.
    – AliceD
    Commented Jun 23, 2018 at 19:29
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    Naming it is not the same as having a concept of it. You may want to reword it.
    – Philip Klöcking ♦
    Commented Jun 29, 2018 at 15:56
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    Categorizing/labelling is a form of secondary recognition and is necessary for us to judge or explain. It isn't necessary to understand. Understanding is basically intuitive, pre-categorizational. Everyone knows those moments when "I got it, but I can't put my finger on it!".
    – ttnphns
    Commented Jun 30, 2018 at 6:54

5 Answers 5

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Linguistic relativity

Popular known as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis. It has two versions:

  • The strong version says that language determines thought and that linguistic categories limit and determine cognitive categories.
  • The weak version says that linguistic categories and usage only influence thought and decisions.
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  • Your own answer is only correct if by "name" you mean describe by any number of words. I honestly understood your question to mean the need to give a name, as in I name thee "ooker", so I'm afraid of ooker. I totally don't understand how linguistic relativity is "the opposite state of mental block".
    – got trolled too much this week
    Commented Jul 2, 2018 at 22:39
  • @Fizz hey why do you delete your answer? (I'll answer your question later)
    – Ooker
    Commented Jul 3, 2018 at 1:40
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As I mentioned earlier in the comments. You don't need to name your fear. You don't need to name it to recognise it and you don't need to name your fear to overcome it.

There are many different fears with names such as arachnophobia or agoraphobia but from personal experience and from what I have learnt through formal training is that you don’t necessarily have to name your fear but you need to acknowledge it, understand it and embrace it in order to overcome it.

You need to work through your fear in order to do this (Is your fear warranted? Why? and all other questions need working through thoroughly) which can be uncomfortable but once you have mastered it you can conquer the fear.

This NHS page has some tips on overcoming fear.

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    I realize that what I'm looking for is just in cognitive therapy. Basically the therapist just keeps asking why until the client realizes their unconscious fear. But sometimes they can simply tell them the root right away because the client cannot break the wall. The therapist will then points out the fear first, and that would require a name for that, at least for the sake of communication. Do you know this phenomenon?
    – Ooker
    Commented Jun 28, 2018 at 2:13
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There are cases where a number of events, objects, states of affairs, conditions need to be brought together under a name - a shared name - before we can think clearly and effectively about them.

For instance, Nazi Germany, Stalinist Russia, and Maoist China, were all dictatorships. But dictatorships have been known throughout history. By describing the three above as 'totalitarian', by giving them that name, it became possible to think of them in a particular and illuminating way. (This is not to deny the important differences between them.)

Equally the terms 'liberal', 'socialist', 'conservative', all of which are of modern origin (early 19th century onwards), enabled certain political ideas and arrangements to be grouped together, and separated from others, in ways that aided analysis. A shared name enabled certain phenomena to be isolated for investigation.

The same is true of such terms - names - as 'depression' and 'mental health'. These names enable us to group phenomena that would otherwise remain unorganised motleys within the (too) wide and general concept of health and illness.

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  • this feels more like a comment rather than an answer.
    – Ooker
    Commented Jan 31, 2023 at 8:52
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    This was accepted as an answer and seems relevant to the textbox. I can see your point, however: I don't give a name. I will readily delete the answer if that is what you would prefer. It is too long to convert into a comment. Best - Geoffrey
    – Geoffrey Thomas ♦
    Commented Jan 31, 2023 at 11:47
  • no worry. This is a useful one. However, I wonder when we are allowed to keep comment-as-answer? In some sites this seems like an outright no
    – Ooker
    Commented Feb 1, 2023 at 3:53
  • Ooker. A comment should never be acceptable as an answer, but the decision on what's a comment and what's an answer is down to the particular site, its members and moderators. Since you regard my 'answer' as really a comment, I have deleted, it.
    – Geoffrey Thomas ♦
    Commented Feb 1, 2023 at 8:57
  • Maybe we could rename Comments as Short Answers?
    – Scott Rowe
    Commented May 2 at 11:15
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A slightly more down-to-earth answer than some of the others: to solve a problem one needs to identify the issue first. This is summarized by saying that you need to "name" it.

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A rose by any name would smell as sweet
Shakespeare

For the Bible, unlike Shakespeare, names are not arbitrary but are central and intrinsic to the story.

God gives names

In the Bible, a change in a person’s name signifies a new relationship or role with respect to God. This is a significant and recurring theme.

  1. Abram to Abraham
    In Genesis, God changes Abram's name to Abraham, which means "father of many nations," symbolizing God’s covenant with him that Abraham would indeed be the ancestor of many peoples.

  2. Sarai to Sarah
    Alongside Abraham, Sarai’s name is changed to Sarah which means "princess." This name change accompanies God's promise that she would be blessed and become a mother of nations.

  3. Jacob to Israel
    One of the most famous — and topical — name change occurs with Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel after wrestling with an angel at Peniel in Genesis . The name "Israel" can be interpreted as "he struggles with God," signifying his persistent and direct engagement with God and marking the beginning of the nation of Israel, of which he is the patriarch.

  4. Simon to Peter
    In the New Testament, Jesus changes Simon's name to Peter in John, a name that means "rock." Jesus declares that Peter will be the rock upon which He will build His church, indicating Peter's foundational role in the early Christian community.

Names give Power

Also names have spiritual power. In the Bible, knowing and using a name often signifies authority, control, or a special relational standing. Several passages suggest that names are crucially important in the divine-human relationship and in spiritual authority:

  1. Adam
    In Genesis, God gives Adam the authority to name all the creatures of the Earth. Naming, in this context, signifies dominion and stewardship, reflecting how names and the act of naming are linked to authority and the nature of relationships.

  2. Yahweh
    When Moses asks God for His name in Exodus, God responds with "I AM WHO I AM" (Yahweh). This revelation of God’s name is central, making the divine more accessible to Moses and thereby establishing a deeper covenantal relationship. In fact it is so sacred that Jews rarely say it out, replacing it by Elohim (Lord) or Hashem (the name) — ie introduce an extra use-mention level! This also affirms the commandment — Do not take the name of God in vain.

  3. Jesus Casting Out Demons
    In the New Testament, the act of naming is often linked to authority over demons. For example, Jesus asks a demon-possessed man, "What is your name?" to which he replies, "My name is Legion, for we are many." By naming the demons, Jesus asserts His authority over them, which is a prerequisite to casting them out.

  4. Prayer and Healing in Jesus' Name
    In the NT, the apostles perform miracles and healings in Jesus' name, signifying that invoking the name of Jesus provides spiritual authority and power. Peter heals and preaches in the name of Jesus Christ, suggesting that the name itself carries divine power.

So, in biblical theology, names themselves are conduits of relational and authoritative dynamics. God's knowledge of all names and everything else is a part of His omniscience and sovereignty, which in itself establishes His ultimate authority over all creation.

Theophoric Names

These come together in theophoric names ie. names that invoke God's names.

Summary

I've contrasted Shakespeare's and the Bible's position on whether names are arbitrary or are 'intrinsically semantic'. But Shakespeare and the Bible could easily be replaced by other secular and sacred sources.

IOW my choice of Shakespeare and the Bible are arbitrary!

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  • Names do seem different than ordinary words. People are often surprised when they find out that I named my phone, tablet, car, and other things that "do something".
    – Scott Rowe
    Commented May 2 at 11:12

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