Self-fulfilling prophecy
A self-fulfilling prophecy is a phenomenon where an individual's expectations about themselves or others influence their behavior, ultimately leading to the fulfillment of those expectations. This concept, articulated by sociologist Robert Merton in 1948, suggests that a false belief or prediction can evoke new behaviors that cause the belief to become true. For instance, if someone expects a social event to be unpleasant, their resulting withdrawal can lead to a lack of interaction, thus confirming their initial belief. Self-fulfilling prophecies are significant in various contexts, including education, where teacher expectations can impact student performance, and in health, where placebo effects may arise from patients' beliefs about treatment. Additionally, these prophecies are intertwined with societal stereotypes, as biases related to gender, race, or age can shape expectations and behaviors that reinforce those biases. Understanding self-fulfilling prophecies can help individuals recognize and potentially counteract negative expectations, promoting more positive outcomes in personal and social interactions.
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Subject Terms
Self-fulfilling prophecy
A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation, either positive or negative, about people or events that may affect a person's behavior, causing those expectations to be fulfilled. In other words, someone may expect another person to behave a certain way or the outcome of an event to go a certain way. Then, because of those expectations, the person changes their behavior. Those behavioral changes, in turn, cause the original expectation to come true.
The concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy is a common one in the fields of science and psychology and has been studied in many different environments and situations. Self-fulfilling prophecies play a large role in the perpetuation of classroom performance, social and cultural stereotypes, and medical placebo studies.
Brief History
In 1948, American sociologist Robert Merton coined the term "self-fulfilling prophecy." He defined it as "a false definition of the situation evoking a new behavior which makes the originally false conception come true." Consider this familiar example: Jonathan is getting ready to attend a party. As he gets ready to leave, he thinks about how shy he is and how difficult it is for him to meet and chat with new people. He finds himself repeating, "This party is going to be terrible. I will be bored and come home without speaking to anyone."
This statement is a prediction about what he believes is going to happen in the future at the party. Because of that prediction, Jonathan goes to the party and makes little effort to introduce himself to anyone or strike up any conversations. When the party is over, his prediction came true: It was a terrible gathering, he was bored, and he barely spoke to anyone. In every way, Jonathan's self-fulfilling prophecy came true, and it solidified how he internally perceives himself (as painfully shy).
When Merton first proposed his self-fulfilling theory, he focused on how it impacted racial discrimination and similar social issues. He theorized that self-fulfilling prophecies would have a strong impact on people's stereotypes and biases about racial qualities. (Stereotypes are defined as "beliefs about traits, personalities, and abilities that characterize the typical individual of a group.") More than half a century after Merton first coined the term, self-fulfilling prophecies are still being studied and researched in a growing variety of arenas, from drug-testing studies to classrooms.
Over the years, Merton's ideas about the self-fulfilling prophecy have been tested and applied. In 1968, psychologists Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson conducted a study to see how Merton's concepts might be applied within the standard classroom. They wanted to determine if teacher expectations could influence or change student achievement. First, the researchers told teachers that certain students in their classrooms had scored highly on a supposed test and were expected to undergo what they termed an "intellectual bloom" during the upcoming year. (In truth, the students were selected completely at random.) A year later, these "blooming" students and their peers were all tested. Rosenthal and Jacobson found that the selected students (especially those in the elementary grades) had greater gains in overall IQ (intelligence quotient) and reading scores. Even more telling, these students were described by their teachers in glowing terms and labeled as more likely to be successful, more interesting, more curious, and even happier in general. Why did these students appear to "bloom"? The researchers believe it was because teachers expected the students to do so, so they changed the way they interacted with these students. They provided additional feedback and offered bigger challenges—and, in the process, the students learned more.
Impact
Many modern psychologists believe a strong connection exists between self-fulfilling prophecies and stereotypes. People tend to associate specific behaviors and personality traits with people of a particular gender, age, sexual orientation, or skin color. They make predictions about something based on these associations. This changes their behavior and, in turn, seems to confirm the prophecy and/or prejudice. For example, if a man believes that women in general are physically weaker and less capable than men, he may treat his girlfriend differently than he treats men. He may lift heavy things for her or offer to repair a tire for her with this bias in mind. His behavior influences the woman even though she may just allow him to do these things because she does not mind or care. But her inaction confirms his prediction. The same concept can be seen in interactions between generations and races.
The impact of self-fulfilling prophecies is also frequently observed in medical testing when placebos are implemented. Placebos are often utilized in studies to see how a medication affects patients. If a person's health appears to improve after taking a placebo (a pill that has no physical impact whatsoever), many researchers believe it is primarily due to Merton's self-fulfilling prophecy. People believe they are getting medication to feel better, so they feel better, regardless of whatever they are actually ingesting.
Whether the self-fulfilling prophecy exists and whether people often employ it has rarely been questioned. The debate has tended to focus on whether these predictions are beneficial to people or not. Too often, they emphasize negative attributes or attitudes. Prejudices about age, gender, sexual orientation, or race get corroborated by the self-fulfilling prophecy. Psychologists often encourage people to examine what possible self-fulfilling prophecies they might employ on a regular basis and then find a way to fight or overcome them, perhaps with the aid of a helpful therapist.
Bibliography
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