The power of self-fulfilling prophecies

Since before we are born, the people around us have a series of expectations about us. What color will our eyes be? What personality will we have? Will we like to paint or not? It is the germ of self-fulfilling prophecies.

Then, those expectations are added to your own. We know what others expect of us and We form our beliefs about our abilities, tastes and personality. But how much does all this influence our decisions and life choices? In this article we tell you what self-fulfilling prophecies are and what effect they have on our lives.

The Pygmalion effect and self-fulfilling prophecies

Self-fulfilling prophecies are all those predictive thoughts that people have and that, once issued, they most likely become the cause of this being done. Thus, an expectation is generated that we end up fulfilling.

For its part, although it is related to the self-fulfilling prophecy, The Pygmalion effect refers to the beliefs we have about the behavior or performance of others. Thus, the idea we form ends up conditioning how the other person acts and, therefore, meeting our expectations.

Researcher Robert K. Merton dedicated himself to investigating this topic, giving a structure to the concept and its consequences. According to him, three events occur for the self-fulfilling prophecy to occur:

Having a false belief about something or someone. Treating the issue or person in a way that fits the belief. The person’s result or behavior confirms the belief.

Therefore, the mechanism that makes self-fulfilling prophecies work lies in the fact that If we believe that we are going to have a certain result, it is very possible that our behavior will change little by little and our efforts will vary. That is, if, for example, we think that we are going to fail an exam, we will pay less attention to the content and dedicate less and less time to studying, so we will probably end up failing in the end. On the other hand, if our expectation is positive, we will put more effort without realizing it, increasing the possibility of success.

Confirmation bias

The self-fulfilling prophecy is sometimes accompanied by confirmation bias. This bias is the irrational belief based on seeking facts that confirm our thoughts and perceptions.

Therefore, when something is anticipated and a self-fulfilling prophecy is committed, The very fact of having unconsciously brought about the consequences becomes a solid confirmation (in the eyes of the subject). Thus, the “I knew it was going to happen” invalidates the reflection that there could have been an influence from the person who issues the prophecy.

Its effect on children

Many studies have been conducted regarding the Pygmalion effect and self-fulfilling prophecy in children. So, It was discovered that if an educator had a low expectation of his students, they would perform poorly. On the other hand, if expectations were kept high, the children obtained surprising results.

Modifying some of the prophecies that one makes about one’s own life is difficult, but not impossible, since the psychic apparatus is strong and has more resources. However, In the case of children, the beliefs and expectations of parents and elders are determining factors and they can change the course of your behavior.

An example of this is the use of labels in children’s education. If a child is constantly labeled as “rebellious”, “lazy” or “stupid”, his self-concept is probably configured along those lines, and his behavior ends up fitting those terms. Therefore, it is extremely important to be careful with the use of labels, with using “you are” instead of “you are being…”, as they could mark your personality for life.

What can we do?

In many cases, prophecies about ourselves and others can be harmful. We can really boycott ourselves, and even lead to more serious conflicts about what we feel and do. So, Although they are strongly rooted beliefs, they are not exempt from being modified..

What can we do to change it? Keep the following points in mind:

Detect these thoughts. If you find yourself in situations whose ending you can negatively predict, try to think that nothing is determined, that it could turn out well and that you have the potential to solve it.Pay attention to the language and labels you use with other people. Like us, those around us take into account the opinions of others and, without realizing it, we can radically condition the behavior of others.Analyze what limiting beliefs are behind these prophecies. Surely the next time they appear, it will be easier for you to realize the mechanism you are using.Seek and treasure experiences that allow you to verify the opposite of your prophecy.

As we see, not only It is possible to recognize the Pygmalion effect in ourselves, but its consequences in our lives can also be counteracted. What would we achieve with it? Nothing more and nothing less than an existence free of ties and negative concepts that limit the potential we have.

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Image courtesy of Alba Soler Photography