The self-fulfilling prophecy is a process where your positive or negative thoughts about a situation or a person make it more likely that those thoughts will come true (Merton, 1948). This happens because your thoughts affect how you behave, and your behavior can make things happen that confirm your original thoughts. For example, if a teacher thinks a student is smart, they might give that student more help and attention, which can actually make the student perform better in school (Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1966). This same idea can apply to sports too. If a team believes they have an advantage because they’re playing at home, that belief might actually help them play better (Staufenbiel et al., 2016). This idea can be influenced by things like someone’s age, gender, past behavior, or personality (Lox & Sternberg, 2015).
Merton, R. K. (1948). The self-fulfilling prophecy. The Antioch Review, 8(2), 193210.
Lox, C. L., & Sternberg, T. (2015). Chapter 5: The Self- fulfilling prophecy theory: When coaches’ expectations become reality. In J. M. Williams, & V. Krane (Eds.), Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak perfor- mance (7th ed., pp. 78100). New York: McGraw Hill.
Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1966). Teachers’ expectancies: Determinants of pupils’ IQ gains. Psychological Reports, 19, 115118.
Staufenbiel, K., Riedl, D., & Strauss, B. (2016). Learning to be advantaged: The development of home advantage in high- level youth soccer. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advanced online publication: https:// doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2016.1142463.
