Lesson 3 - Stereotypes, Labels, Sample Size, and Side Effects

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Related to stereotypes is the concept of labeling. Labeling relates to the image we have of ourselves and others, both positive and negative, based upon the message others communicate to us. If we employ a specific label, for example, then we expect specific behaviour from people who have that label. The behaviour expected from various labels, whether accurate or not, can become real or true because of having been predicted or expected. This is called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A student, Kayla, did poorly on an English assignment. Her teacher may have told her that she is weak in grammar. She then begins to think that she is “bad” at English overall and, over time, may expect that she will do poorly on any English assignment. Because of this belief, she puts little effort into learning grammar. Kayla believes that any effort would be wasted because she is not good at English – so why bother trying? What Kayla does not realize is that her lack of success in English may be due to insufficient effort. Her perception of her lack of ability, however, has made it impossible to realize that something could help her. Because of this, she has fulfilled the prophecy that she is poor at English.  How would this self-fulfilling prophecy work differently in this case, if Kayla's teacher told her that she was an excellent English student?

Please watch the video below on the self fulfilling prophecy.  An example is provided at the end of the video.  Their are many aspects to our lives that the self-fulfilling prophecy can be applied to.

Unfortunately, many people are given messages that may be based on inaccurate or incomplete information. According to some sociologists, many individuals give us damaging messages that result in the development of our own self-fulfilling prophecies.

Examples of people who give such messages include parents, teachers, judges, bankers, and employers. If a bank executive, for example, believes you are not likely to succeed, then, you will not get a loan, and you will not be given the chance to prove yourself successful. Unfortunately, a positive feedback cycle often occurs after an individual has been labelled negatively. With a self-fulfilling prophecy (brought on by an inaccurate label), the belief that something is true about individuals or groups can cause them to act in ways to actualize the prophecy. The fulfillment of the self-fulfilling prophecy can often result in a stigma.