The Pygmalion Effect was a term I came across a lot but didn't care about. An article about “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy” in a book I read later caught my attention. With a little research, I learned that this term is also referred to as the Pygmalion Effect. The book I am talking about is not The Secret :) I have included it in the bibliography, you can have a look at it. If I explain the subject briefly, the self-fulfilling prophecy or Pygmalion Effect is the realization of a situation or action that is thought to happen.
The Emergence of the Pygmalion Effect
This issue was first raised in 1961 by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobsen. The duo, who later became professors at Harvard University, conducted research on this subject in 1971, first with mice, and then with 18 teachers and 650 children in a school. In one of the studies, generally based on the teacher-student relationship, a test was administered to children with the same intelligence level. As a result of the tests, a group of randomly selected children was convinced by the teachers that they had superior abilities and would be very successful academically. This group, which was not much different from other children, was tested again 8 months later, this time they really showed superior characteristics than their other friends. In the end, the teachers' expectations were fulfilled and the children really excelled.
How Do We Benefit From the Pygmalion Effect?
Our expectations, and our wishes; develops as our faith guides. There is actually a well-known story on the subject. It is understood that a worker who was accidentally locked in the cold storage of a train froze to death after being found, but it is learned that the warehouse is not working and it is 18 degrees inside.
In this case, the worker kept his expectation that he would freeze to death, and so it was. I don't know how true this story is, but it can be a good example. So what does this have to do with nutrition?
Actually, the answer is very simple. “I have always been unsuccessful until now, what will change from now on? I will fail again.”… ”I can never get rid of eating attacks.”… ”Again, I came across a dietitian who did not understand me, this will not happen again, I am a very unlucky person.”… Does the chain of negative thoughts that goes on like this sound familiar to you? Maybe sometimes we unconsciously strive for failure. As a result of this effort, we are justified. If the fulfillment of the prophecy is in our hands, why not use it to our advantage? “This time I can succeed, I can make peace with my body.”… ”I will make the most of my counselor and fix my relationship with food.”… ”Today is a very good day and I will end today happily.”… If just saying it feels that good, how wonderful it would feel if it happened. :) In summary; Positive expectations produce positive results. Let's spend our effort on success.
References
Retrieved April 2022 from Wikipedia: https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beklenti_etkisi
(2020). Kendini gerçekleştiren Kehanet. In M. A. Ersoy, Kilosophia: Obezitede Duygusal ve Düşünsel İyileşme (p. 89-90). h2o Kitap.
Kendi Kendini Gerçekleştiren Kehanet - (Pygmalion Etkisi). Retrieved April 2022 from gönüllü psikolog: https://gonullupsikolog.org/blog/kendi-kendini-gerceklestiren-kehanet-pygmalion-etkisi