Self-fulfilling Prophecies

   As a race, we humans possess truly amazing problem solving skills. That is probably the trait most responsible for our successful climb to the top of the food chain. Any problem that comes our way, we solve it, stop it, start it...go over, around, through, or under it...we beat it, cheat it or kill it. Whatever it takes.




   It seems ironic to me that we also are so very good at creating a problem when one does not exist. Or maybe it isn't irony at all, but necessity. Maybe we are just "playing to our strengths". Ever had a time in your life where everything is going great? Pretty horrifying isn't it.
   Robert Merton, a 20th century sociologist, coined the term of "self-fulfilling prophecy". In his definition, in the book Social Theory and Social Structure published in 1949, the prophecy or prediction is false but is made true by a person’s actions. In the modern sense the prophecy has neither false nor true value, but is merely a possibility that is made into probability by a person’s unconscious or conscious actions.*
  I believe the modern definition to be more accurate, and I see it manifested on nearly a daily basis. Here are a few examples:


Distrust of spouse/partner - Let's say "John" does not trust his girlfriend "Jane" (It could just as easily be the other way around, but for this example we'll use John). Maybe there is some merit to this belief because when he started dating her she had a boyfriend, or she has a reputation for being a "party girl". In some cases the root of John's doubt may be internal due to a low self esteem or prior experiences. It can be completely imagined, like overhearing a partial conversation and misinterpreting it or someone falsely testifying that Jane is fucking a whole frat house. None of this matters.
   What does matter is that John does not trust Jane. This will cause John to treat Jane in such a way that the possibility of her cheating becomes much more of a probability, in essence "setting her up" to fail. He may be sarcastic with her, or even angry with her, causing their time together to lose it's appeal. He may accuse her of lying so often that she sees no reason to be honest. John may even go out and cheat on Jane to even the perceived score. Many times, the reason John does not trust Jane is due to his own infidelities. The seeds of distrust are so often sown in one's own soil, lol.
   John's actions have clearly helped his prediction to prove prophetic.


Overall negativity - Sara believes that she is going to have a bad day, so she is ready for the worst. She may be grouchy or confrontational with her co-workers, causing them to act alike or to chose not to interact with Sara at all. In this frame of mind, Sara is likely to only see the down side of an occurrence and unlikely to see any up side potential.
   For instance, while being disciplined by her boss for something out of her control, Sara may chose to be argumentative or angry at being blamed, and miss an opportunity to explain why the problem did occur and how it can be averted to a now very impressed boss.


Distrust of people's overall competence - I know of at least one person who is so paranoid and so defensive when driving that she becomes the most dangerous one on the road. There is a reason that the freeway has a minimum speed and it is a lot higher than 25 mph.


Groups -  Studies have shown SFPs are even more likely to pan out when in a group setting. 2 apparently IS stronger than 1. I have seen this sad super power mastered to perfection...by the Chicago Cubs. No matter how good the team, how big the lead, or how close to victory they may get, the Cubbies KNOW that they should not, cannot and will not emerge victorious. Bob Costas once said that the Cubs don't just "go down in defeat, but glorious defeat". They are genius at finding ways to keep their reputation as lovable losers in tact.


KB
*(Thank you to Tricia Ellis-Christensen at wisegeek.com)