Self Fulfilling Prophecy
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"A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior."[1]
This means that if you believe that something will happen, it probably will. For example, if a teacher tells a student they are going to fail at their classes, the fear that it brings will make the prophecy more likely to happen. This was credited by sociologist Robert K Merton in his book Sociological Theory and Social Structure.
Discussion questions and essay ideas[edit | edit source]
- How can self fulfilling prophecies be potentially harmful?
- How can self fulfilling prophecies be potentially beneficial?
- What are some examples of self fulfilling prophecies?
Learning resources[edit | edit source]
External[edit | edit source]
- Lesson 8: Breaking The Negative Self Fulfilling Prophecy
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in Organizations
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and Power in Negotiation
- What is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy in Negotiation?
- Self-fulfilling Prophecy – Role of Media
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