Manifestation, the law of attraction, affirmations…we are all very familiar with these terms due to popular media. While these methods seem to work well for personal growth and focus for many people, they result in skepticism from many others due to their oversimplified and mystified approach. However, in many cases, the path that leads to the outcomes we ought to experience is not as mysterious or unpredictable as we think it to be. Our current expectations, whether consciously or subconsciously, heavily shape our future reality.
One dramatic, highly ironic, but very fitting example from literature is in Sophocles’s Oedipus Rex, where Oedipus’s fear of fulfilling the foretelling that he would murder his father and marry his own mother leads him to actually fulfill it.
The scientific concept that explains this, the self-fulfilling prophecy, is a psychological phenomenon introduced by sociologist Robert K. Merton in 1948. It can be described as an expectation or belief that becomes a reality due to the behavior of the believing individual. The phenomenon is not often as disastrous as in Oedipus’s case and can even be used to our benefit.
Thinking About The Prophecy
The scenario of a self-fulfilling prophecy is echoed in the words of many influential figures and in many different philosophies.
William James, a founding figure in psychology, stated “Belief creates the actual fact,” highlighting how our thoughts and beliefs are not just reflections of reality but tools that actively construct it. In a similar vein Henry Ford famously said “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
In existentialist thought, Jean-Paul Sartre discusses how humans define their own essence through choices. The self-fulfilling prophecy resonates here as radical freedom. Individuals are free to interpret their circumstances and act accordingly, thus creating their reality. In Eastern philosophies, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism, the concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy can be observed in “Karma” and “Maya.” Karma is the dynamic belief that intentions and actions have consequences that shape future experiences. The idea of Maya speaks to the illusory nature of our perceived reality and suggests that much of what we think to be real is shaped by our subjective consciousness.
A majority of 13th century poet Mevlana Celaddiin-i Rumi’s works also resonate with the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy. One of his more famous quotes “Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?” exemplifies Rumi’s understanding of belief systems and how they can shape one’s life.
The self-fulfilling prophecy as understood in psychology and philosophy is interesting as it is both deterministic and liberating in nature. While proposing a tight cycle of cause and effect, it emphasizes the power of positive thought, free will and growth at the same time.
How Beliefs Shape and Bend Reality
The human brain is a predictive machine. It constantly anticipates outcomes based on past experiences and current beliefs. Our brain likes efficiency, and it likes to build “schemas”, mental frameworks by which we organize information and predict scenarios. A schema involving strong beliefs or expectations can guide our interactions with our environment in ways that make those expectations more likely to come true. Dopamine, the “reward chemical,” plays a significant role here. Positive anticipation triggers dopamine release into the nucleus accumbens, which increases motivation and focus. Conversely, negative anticipation can reduce dopamine release, lowering energy and attention.
If someone believes they will fail an exam, their brain and body may unconsciously prepare for failure by increasing anxiety or reducing effort. The same is true for the opposite scenario, in which the individual believes that they will do well in the exam. In this case, the body prepares itself for extended work and focus. This is how our beliefs influence our physiology. Our physiology influences our behavior and accordingly, our environment, which in turn shapes the outcomes, completing the cycle of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
Similarly, the attention systems in our brains are primed to adjust according to our beliefs and expectations. There are infinite sources of stimulation in the environment at all times. Our brains can not process all of this information at once. Therefore, attention systems like the reticular activating system determine what we attend to by prioritizing stimuli that align with our goals, beliefs and expectations. In other words, certain things in the environment become ‘salient’ to your brain.
Positive thinking will allow you to recognize and seek opportunities in the environment, naturally letting you succeed in life simply based on statistics. Another individual who does not share that positive belief will not attend to the possibilities they could seek in all of the other stimuli in the environment, leading them not to pursue these opportunities.
Visionary Vibes
Visualizing physically is visualizing mentally. It allows you to clearly represent your goals and desires and set intentions accordingly. One of the best ways to exercise setting clear intentions and priming yourself to recognize desired opportunities is to create a vision board, right on time before the new year!
Imagine your future self in the best scenario possible. What qualities does this person possess? Where do they live? What does their room and house look like? What is a day like in their life? What do they wear to work? What form of transportation do they use on a daily basis? What types of food do they eat? Do they have any pets? What do they do to rewind after a long day? Do they have a regular weekend activity? Who do they spend time with every week?
Exciting, is it not? Now illustrate your vision however you want. Be creative! You can make a collage with cut out pictures from magazines or books, you can choose to draw your imagination for a customized board, or go with my preferred method and make a large PowerPoint slide on your computer for the easiest creation.
I like to revisit my virtual vision board every once in a while to relive that surge of motivation and remind myself of what I want to prioritize in life. I hope you enjoy this exercise as much as I do!
Citations
Decety, J. (1996). The neurophysiological basis of motor imagery. Behavioural Brain Research, 77(1–2), 45–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/0166-4328(95)00225-1
Florida Atlantic University. Self-fulfillment: The self-fulfilling prophecy. Retrieved December 2, 2024, from https://www.fau.edu/thrive/students/thrive-thursdays/selfulfillment/
Ford, H. Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right. Goodreads. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/
Friston, K. (2010). The free-energy principle: A unified brain theory? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2787
James, W. (1897). The will to believe and other essays in popular philosophy. Longmans, Green, and Co.
Rumi, M. J. You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life? Goodreads. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/
Sartre, J.-P. (1943). Being and nothingness: An essay on phenomenological ontology. Philosophical Library. Retrieved from https://www.marxists.org/
Schultz, W. (1998). Predictive reward signal of dopamine neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology, 80(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1998.80.1.1
Vanderwolf, C. H. (2000). Are you conscious of what you are doing? The reticular activating system and conscious experience. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 24(3), 375–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0149-7634(00)00015-3