When people meet acquaintances for the first time, they form subconscious judgments and assumptions that determine their future relationships. Thus, future relationships are formed based on the beliefs developed when we meet people for the first time (Aronson et al., (2019). For instance, if we believe that the person is friendly and good, we establish a close relationship and get more involved. The behavior that we hold towards new acquaintances is founded on our expectations. Nonetheless, the other person also becomes friendly with us when we demonstrate a close association with them. On the other hand, when we believe that our new acquaintance is rude, the behaviors align with the belief, resulting in a negative association. Thus, it can be concluded that a self-fulfilling prophecy is manifested when the beliefs and expectations of other people influence our behavior (Madon et al., 2018).
The concept of self-fulfilling prophecy is essential in academic performance, career development, and behavioral formation in relationships (Madon et al., 2018). For instance, our expectations influence how we study and score in exams. Besides, it also determines how we perform in our careers. When there are no rewards for excellent performance in my department, my performance would be low. In my relationship, what I think of my partner affects how I relate to him or her. For example, if I know that my partner is about to dump me, I would be cruel and behave in an undesirable way since I know that they will leave me anyway. Human behavior aligns with a set of beliefs, assumptions, and expectations that determines our behavior.
References:
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.). (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Madon, S., Jussim, L., Guyll, M., Nofziger, H., Salib, E. R., Willard, J., & Scherr, K. C. (2018). The accumulation of stereotype-based self-fulfilling prophecies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(5), 825844. DOI: 10.1037/pspi0000142
