Self Fulfilling Prophecy

"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."
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

• 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

External

• 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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