Self-fulfilling prophecy

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that comes true at least in part as a result of a person's belief or expectation that the prediction would come true.[1] In the phenomena, people tend to act the way they have been expected to in order to make the expectations come true.[2] Self-fulfilling prophecies are an example of the more general phenomenon of positive feedback loops. A self-fulfilling prophecy can have either negative or positive outcomes. Merely applying a label to someone or something can affect the perception of the person/thing and create a self-fulfilling prophecy.[3] Interpersonal communication plays a significant role in establishing these phenomena as well as impacting the labeling process.[4]

American sociologists W. I. Thomas and Dorothy Swaine Thomas were the first Western scholars to investigate this phenomenon. In 1928, they developed the Thomas theorem (also known as the Thomas dictum): "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences."[5] Another American sociologist, Robert K. Merton, continued the research, and is credited with coining the term "self-fulfilling prophecy" and popularizing the idea that "a belief or expectation, correct or incorrect, could bring about a desired or expected outcome."[1][6] The works of philosophers Karl Popper and Alan Gerwith also contributed to the idea.[7]

  1. ^ a b Biggs, Michael (2013), "Prophecy, Self-Fulfilling/Self-Defeating", Encyclopedia of Philosophy and the Social Sciences, SAGE Publications, Inc., doi:10.4135/9781452276052.n292, ISBN 9781412986892
  2. ^ Blundell, Jonathan (2014). Cambridge IGCSE® sociology coursebook. Cambridge, United Kingdom : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-64513-4.
  3. ^ Wineburg, Samuel S. (December 1987). "The Self-Fulfillment of the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy". Educational Researcher. 16 (9): 28–37. doi:10.3102/0013189x016009028. ISSN 0013-189X. S2CID 145466315.
  4. ^ Watson, James (2015). Self-fulfilling prophecy. Dictionary of Media and Communication Studies.
  5. ^ The child in America: Behavior problems and programs. W.I. Thomas and D.S. Thomas. New York: Knopf, 1928: 571–572
  6. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. self-fulfilling. 1832 Morning Post 4 Apr. Suffice it to say, the licensed fabricators of self-fulfilling prophecies are again upon their stools.
  7. ^ Houghton, David Patrick (2009). "The Role of Self-Fulfilling and Self-Negating Prophecies in International Relations". International Studies Review. 11 (3): 552–584. ISSN 1521-9488. Retrieved 9 October 2023.