Counselling Suite

Self-fulfilling Prophecies

Have you ever predicted that something would happen in your life and it came true?  Perhaps you anticipated that you’d have a terrible time at an event and… bingo… you did.  Or maybe you pictured yourself completing an assignment to a high standard and then you were able to do so.  We often view this as evidence that we know ourselves, including our strengths and limitations, well.  This may well be true some of the time.  However, what we don’t always realise, is how our beliefs and expectations can shape our behaviour, and thereby, lead to particular outcomes or limit the potential outcomes.  A self-fulfilling prophecy has been defined as a belief or expectation held by an individual about the future that manifests or comes true because the individual holds it.

A common example of a self-fulfilling prophecy in psychology is the “placebo effect”, whereby study participants randomised to a ‘control’ (no treatment) group without knowledge of this, experience or perceive improved outcomes, even though they have not received anything therapeutic.  This is due to their belief that because of their involvement in the study, they have been given a treatment – the belief alone, has then led to subjective benefits.   

Our expectations or beliefs about others can also change the way we treat others, often leading them to react in ways that confirm our original beliefs.  For example, if a student thinks their teacher does not like them, then they may act up more in this class or not follow instructions, leading the teacher to then reprimand the student which the student then views this as confirmation that their teacher does not like them.  Or take the socially anxious student who worries about his ability to hold a conversation. When faced with a social situation, the student nervously plays with his phone to avoid interacting with others.  Therefore, he does not give himself the opportunity to practice his social skills, thus, not allowing himself to prove himself wrong, and challenge the belief that he is bad at making conversation. 

In terms of performance outcomes, there is a lot of research that highlights how teachers’ expectations of students’ abilities impacts on student performance.  Moreover, students’ beliefs about their own abilities can have an impact on their academic success.  For example, a student who thinks they are not intelligent enough to pass a test might not bother studying for it and then fail.  Had they studied, they may have given themselves an opportunity to pass, but by not doing so, they have then created the circumstances that confirm their negative self-perception.

I often talk to students about self-fulfilling prophecies in a counselling context.  It can be very helpful challenging some of our negative beliefs and expectations about ourselves, the world, and others, including those that may feel fixed or that have held true over time, because we may be subconsciously acting in ways that reinforce them.  Remind ourselves of the connection between our thoughts/beliefs/expectations and behaviours and ask ourselves whether doing something different, even though that may not feel comfortable, could possibly lead to a different outcome.  Setting up ‘behavioural experiments’ designed to challenge beliefs/expectations can be very empowering, as they may lead to outcomes that contradict or challenge negative views.  With practice, this can then help us to reshape our beliefs, which can have a profound impact on our mood.

If you are concerned for your child and think they may benefit from counselling support, please fill out the counselling referral form on Seqta and email it to counselling@bps.sa.edu.au   

Dr Lucinda Clifford

PSYCHOLOGIST