Contents
Hello! The Pygmalion effect is a phenomenon in which a person, confident in the accuracy of any information, unconsciously makes choices that lead to the expected result. Thus confirming the correctness of her beliefs. The most striking example is the opinion of many women that all men are the same and, so to speak, are bad people. Why, each time choosing as a partner, someone dysfunctional and unpromising, for example, addicted to drugs or alcohol, they consider their conclusions to be truly true.
And today we will look at options that will help you achieve your goals with the help of this phenomenon. And not vice versa, to interfere with a quality and happy life.
History of occurrence
Remember the ancient Greek myth about the sculptor Pygmalion, who created an amazingly beautiful ivory woman, who fell in love with her without memory? Unrequited love tormented his soul so much that he began to pray to the goddess Aphrodite, begging to breathe life into her. And the ideal Galethea came to life, turning out to be exactly the way he fantasized for himself.
Focusing on this myth, Robert Rosenthal named his discovery in honor of the sculptor who believed that his dreams could come true.
Together with Lenora Jacobson, in 1968, he organized an experiment confirming his theory. In one of the schools in San Francisco, they took an IQ test. Only the results they provided to the teachers were not reliable. Choosing quite involuntarily a few guys from each class, psychologists called them gifted.
The teachers were surprised, because in the process of learning they did not differ in any features, showing themselves as ordinary people. But Leonora and Robert convinced them that children simply need time during which they will definitely open up. At the end of the year, they returned to school for a second test. And what do you think?
Those who got a chance to be called a genius improved in their studies, and their IQ became much higher than it really was. Rosenthal’s idea was confirmed, teachers had a different attitude towards special students, expecting more from them, providing them with slightly different conditions for development. Why those, having felt freedom, support and faith in their strength, began to meet expectations.
Experiment with students
Rebecca Curtis and Kim Miller became interested in this topic and decided to personally test the effect of the Pygmalion effect. The college students who took part in the experiment were divided into two groups. By pairing them up in such a way that they didn’t know each other, the researchers gave a simple task: to chat. Only some had information that they were attractive to the provided partner, while others were notified that, on the contrary, they caused antipathy.
Students who were confident in the interlocutor’s interest in them were more open and friendly. That is why the contact of such couples turned out to be productive, rich and warm. Those who suspected a partner of negative emotions in relation to their personality had difficulty making contact. As a result, at the end of the meeting, each of them remained unsatisfied with the joint process. By this behavior, they really justified the initially false belief.
Recommendations
So, the promised recommendations that will help you achieve your goals:
Praise
There is a stereotype that praise can relax a person. Therefore, it is imperative to spur him on, pointing out his shortcomings, so that he does not become lazy, does not become arrogant. Rosenthal’s discovery just shows us the opposite effect. What happens when a child from a dysfunctional family is told that nothing good will grow out of him?
Most likely, he will unconsciously justify the expectations of others. They don’t expect anything from him, why bother then? But what if someone sees some peculiarity in it? Or will he simply believe in advance that the boy will be able to cope with the circumstances and grow up as a worthy person? He will carry this faith inside himself for many years, because they believed in him, which means he can.
Support your loved ones, your children and of course yourself. Do not skimp on warm and pleasant words. The belief that a person is capable of much is actually the key to success. In addition, a good attitude towards other people, even if it is not justified by social standards, can bring good dividends. In communication with you, a person will manifest himself exactly as you see him.
Rationality
Do not believe in the terrible predictions of others. Give in to other people’s fantasies of logic, talk about their reality. And if, however, you understand that there is a high probability that they will come true, look for ways to prevent them from becoming a reality. As well as resources to rely on.
I will give you one life example, my mother, being dissatisfied with her son-in-law due to his problems with alcohol, at every opportunity reminded her daughter that she needed to look after her son so that he would not follow in his father’s footsteps. What do you think was broadcast to the child in this case? That he is just as weak, incapable of coping with stress and standing up against challenges. As a result, he certainly lived up to his grandmother’s expectations and his mother’s fears.
Such stories, unfortunately, are not uncommon. Therefore, do not lose vigilance and rationality when someone predicts a negative future for you or your relatives, important people. No one really knows how it will be, one can only speculate. And only you have the right to choose life prospects, because it is from your actions that the future is formed.
High expectations
John Livingston, a lecturer at Harvard Business School, considers the Rosenthal effect to be a secret weapon with which to influence people. He found that if management believes that subordinates can handle a task of any level of complexity, quickly and skillfully, they will indeed show professionalism in their work.
But he will expect more from others only if he is doing well with his own self-esteem. Who does not believe in himself, can not hope that the employees will be able to do something worthy.
One nuance is important. Setting completely unrealistic goals for yourself or employees means to cause disappointment and a decrease in motivation to act. Keep a balance between demands and expectations.
If you understand that you cannot achieve success, think about whether you are receiving recognition of your abilities from your superiors? Activities under the guidance of, so to speak, weak managers, directors, affect the efficiency of work. Up to the point that the employee loses his professional stability and does not develop. Although, for example, at the beginning of his career he was considered quite promising.
Completion
Believe in yourself, your talent and everything will work out for you! And finally, I want to recommend that you get acquainted with another interesting phenomenon in psychology — the placebo effect. It is a bit similar to the one described today, as it shows how easy it is to convince a person of something. Knowing the secrets of such phenomena, as well as introducing them into everyday life, you can significantly increase its quality. At the very least, getting what you want will become easier and faster.
By the way, if you want to train your brain, the scab effect will help with this. Read the article, I think you will like it.
The material was prepared by a psychologist, Gestalt therapist, Zhuravina Alina