An ancient Greek myth tells the story of Pygmalion, a sculptor who made a statue of a woman. It represented the woman of his dreams, and he named her Galatea. The statue was so perfect that Pygmalion fell in love with it and began to treat it as if it were a real woman, as if it were alive. Eventually, while Pygmalion was sleeping, Aphrodite brought the statue to life upon seeing the love that Pygmalion felt for it.
This myth gives its name to what we now know as the "Pygmalion Effect," as it exceeded what he expected from himself, and by believing that the statue was alive, it indeed became so.
In more modern times, the myth is the origin of George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion or movies like My Fair Lady and the story of Pinocchio.
What are we talking about? Well... the power of expectations!
Yes, the expectations I have about other people (my partner, my children, my bosses, subordinates, coworkers, or team members) directly influence them.
Let's look at some examples:
If an employee receives continuous acceptance from their boss, it is very likely that they will exhibit high performance in their duties, and therefore, their performance will be higher and more effective. On the contrary, if their abilities are always questioned by their superior, the indifferent attitude and demotivation from the subordinate will increase, which will undoubtedly lead to a decrease in both the quantity and quality of their work. In the business world, the Pygmalion Effect means that every boss has a formed image of their collaborators and treats them according to this image; but the most important thing is that this image is perceived by the collaborator even if the boss does not communicate it to them. In this way, when it is positive, everything goes well, but when it is negative, the opposite happens.
And what happens in a school?
Rosenthal, in his famous book Pygmalion in the Classroom, explains the following case that serves to illustrate what we are talking about: They conducted an ability test with students from a school aged between 7 and 11 years, from second to fifth grade. Without grading the tests, they informed the teachers that half of each class, chosen at random, was very bright, while the other half was not. What happened next? The results of the half of the students considered to be brighter (even though they actually weren’t) were significantly higher by the end of the school year compared to the other part of the class, which was considered less “bright.”
In conclusion, Rosenthal argues that the positive expectations the teachers projected onto the group of students they considered to be brighter facilitated their learning. And the opposite happened with the other group.
What do all these examples aim to demonstrate? Something very simple: what we expect from others, both positively and negatively, influences our treatment of them, and the other person perceives it.
When we expect something good: the person feels loved, appreciated, their self-confidence increases, they put in effort, work because they know someone expects positive results, their effort and work lead them to achieve their goals, and in the end, they accomplish what was expected of them, which reinforces their confidence.
The more you expect from others, the more they will get involved, as they will sense your appreciation, your patience, and your interest.
What would become of us if we expected nothing from life?
Or if we expected things but anticipated them to be negative?
Here, positive thinking appears again. People who expect good things from life focus on opportunities and largely create their own luck.
If I believe that my future will be better, that a better future is possible, I will invest time, effort, and work into that future I desire. This is how I will achieve it.
But what happens if I have a pessimistic view of life, if I think things could get worse? Well, that is probably what will happen to me.
And this doesn’t just happen to me. As we have seen, it is also valid for what I think or expect from others.
Some questions I can ask myself:
What do I think or expect from my life?
What do I think or expect from my children?
Be careful, what you think or expect from them is what you will transmit to them!
This month, to finish, I leave you with a quote from Goethe:
“Treat a person as they are, and they will remain as they are; treat them as they can and should be, and they will become who they can and should be.”
Jordi Salat
Sports Coach ITW Sport Program
Trainer en PNL
Instagram: @jordisalatcoach
