Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Self-fulfilling prophecies occur when an expectation or prediction, whether true or false initially, influences actions in a way that causes the original expectation to become reality. First formalized by sociologist Robert K. Merton, this concept has profound implications across many domains. In education, teacher expectations can significantly impact student performance (the Pygmalion effect). In economics, bank runs can occur when fear of insolvency causes the very insolvency that was feared. These prophecies work through both psychological mechanisms (altered confidence, motivation, and self-perception) and social mechanisms (changed behavior toward the subject of the prophecy). Understanding this phenomenon helps identify situations where expectations might be creating the very outcomes we seek to avoid.