How To Use The Pygmalion Effect | Proving Them Right | The Power Of Expectations
The concept of the Pygmalion effect, expectations influencing performance and becoming self-fulfilling prophecies is widespread. Many people have stories of achieving something just because someone had especially high expectations of them. The Pygmalion effect suggests our reality is negotiable and can be manipulated by others, on purpose or by accident. What we achieve, how we think, how we act, and how we perceive our capabilities can be influenced by the expectations of those around us. So this article delight offers you a solution to How To Use The Pygmalion effect and avoid succumbing to it.
What is The Pygmalion effect ? | What is Rosenthal Effect ?
The Pygmalion effect describes situations where someone’s high expectations improves our behavior and therefore our performance in a given area. It suggests that we do better when more is expected of us. The Pygmalion effect acts like a prophecy because pre-existing beliefs lead to more effort being put in both by the person with the expectations, and the person who is being expected from. This leads to increasing the likelihood that success will ensue eventually. The Pygmalion effect is best understood as a reminder to be mindful of the potential influence of our expectations.
As a concept, the effect associates with ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’, which states that even a false belief might end up becoming true, as it influences both beliefs and actions. As soon as the belief becomes true, it creates a feedback loop, as we then assume we were always correct. The reasons the Pygmalion effect is, well, in effect, is because when we interact with and have expectations of others, we tend to offer a lot of subconscious clues about these expectations, through our tone or body language.
A Little History Behind The Pygmalion Effect
The original study was conducted by social psychologist Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobsen in a Californian School in 1968. The findings from the study have proven that the expectation of a leader has a direct impact on the performance of the person they are leading. Or as Rosenthal describes it, “What one person expects of another can come to serve as a self-fulfilling prophecy.” While the study was originally conducted within a classroom setting, it has since been accepted that the Pygmalion Effect applies to all kinds of settings from elite sports teams to the modern workplace.
Refer the study here to have an idea of how the effect works https://ideas.time.com/2013/04/01/
In introducing the concept in their book titled ‘Pygmalion in the Classroom,’ Rosenthal and his colleague Lenore Jacobson drew on the Greek myth of Pygmalion in ‘Metamorphoses’ by Ovid (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968). Pygmalion in the story, was a sculptor from Cyprus who ended up falling in love with an ivory statue of a woman he had made (Ovid, 2008). Enamored by the statue’s beauty, he begs the gods for a wife resembling its likeness. The gods respond by granting Pygmalion’s request. The statue subsequently comes to life.
Centuries later, George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion would convey the point as well. In it, Liza explains..
“the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she’s treated” (Shaw, 1912).
Why it happens ?
The Pygmalion effect occurs because other’s expectations impact both their own behavior and our behavior. If someone believes we are likely to succeed, they will treat us differently to help us achieve those goals. In turn, when someone expects us to succeed, we try our best to meet those expectations. For an example, if a teacher has high expectations for their students, they may create a warm socio-economic environment. They feel positively towards their students and the classroom would reflect this attitude. Input suggested that teachers will give students they believe are intelligent more and better-quality materials. Output meant that teachers will give those students more opportunities to respond and engage in the classroom. The last factor was feedback, that referred to the likelihood that better performing students may receive more detailed feedback from their teachers on how to improve.
The opposite is also true | The Golem Effect
While there is substantially less research on the opposite relationship, there are now sufficient studies to prove that the opposite of the Pygmalion Effect is also true. That means that when a teacher, manager, supervisor has low expectations of someone, that seems to decrease the person’s performance. That, too, has been proven true even when the person with the expectations tries their best to hide it.
How To Use The Pygmalion Effect ?
Finding means to leverage this reality to optimize our productivity could be immensely beneficial to our personal & professional productivity . Following are some ways to use this effect :
Identify existing beliefs
The first step in this process is to identify your internal beliefs. Try and figure out all the skills that you feel you are lousy at, and preferably write them down. You should also note all positive internal beliefs, and maybe try to draw the connection between your expectations of yourself and your performance in each field. You should also identify your expectations of those close to you.
Develop a growth mindset
The next step is to deliberately work on developing a growth mindset, both for yourself and for others. If you believe you are inherently bad at something, chances are you are not even going to bother with doing something about it. Thus, you will forever remain stuck at the same level, mainly due to lack of effort. To break out of it, you need to change your most fundamental beliefs. You need to believe, that you actually can get better.
Change your expectations of others
Now that you know that your expectations can actually have an impact on other people’s performance, go on and change them. Combined with the fact that you now believe that anyone can achieve anything if they put their mind and heart to it, this change shouldn’t be too hard. Some people light a room when they walk into it, where others light a room when they walk out of it…you choose which one you want to be. The Pygmalion Effect will take care of the rest.
Final Takeaway
Although the Pygmalion effect occurs mostly subconsciously, it shows that others’ expectations can greatly influence our performance. People’s limitations can be stretched if you change your perception of their limitations. If we are the ones whose expectations may influence others, we should try to maintain and express positive expectations in order to motivate people to meet those expectations. When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur. If you want the people around you to have success, you can try raising your expectations.
And if you expect the worst, you’ll probably get it !
Read also : 5 Ways To Pamper Yourself On A Budget https://thebrightdelights.com/5-ways-to-pamper-yourself-on-a-budget/