What does self-fulfilling mean?

Definitions for self-fulfilling
self-ful·fill·ing

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word self-fulfilling.

Wiktionary

  1. self-fulfillingadjective

    Describing a prediction that causes itself to occur as predicted.

Wikipedia

  1. self-fulfilling

    A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that comes true at least in part as a result of a person's or group of persons' belief or expectation that said prediction would come true. This suggests that people's beliefs influence their actions. The principle behind this phenomenon is that people create consequences regarding people or events, based on previous knowledge of the subject. There are three factors within an environment that can come together to influence the likelihood of a self-fulfilling prophecy becoming a reality: appearance, perception, and belief. When a phenomenon cannot be seen, appearance is what we rely upon when a self-fulfilling prophecy is in place. When it comes to a self-fulfilling prophecy there also must be a distinction "between 'brute and institutional' facts". The philosopher John Searle states the difference as "facts [that] exist independently of any human institutions; institutional facts can only exist within institutions." There is an inability of institutional facts to be self-fulfilling. For example, the old belief that the Earth is flat (institutional) when it is known to be spherical (brute) is not self-fulfilling, because Earth's shape is proven through significant evidence. There has to be a consensus by "large numbers of people within a given population"—aside from being institutional, social, or bound by the laws of nature for an idea—to be seen as self-fulfilling. A self-fulfilling prophecy can have either negative or positive outcomes. It can be concluded that establishing a label towards someone or something significantly impacts their perception and influences them to establish self-fulfilling prophecy. Interpersonal communication plays a significant role in establishing these phenomena as well as impacting the labeling process. Intrapersonal communication can have both positive and negative effects, dependent on the nature of the self-fulfilling prophecy. The expectations of a relationship or the inferiority complex felt by young minority children are examples of the negative effects of real false beliefs being self-fulfilling.American sociologists W. I. Thomas and Dorothy Swaine Thomas were the first Western scholars to investigate this phenomenon. In 1928 they developed the Thomas theorem (also known as the Thomas dictum), stating that, "If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences." Because of the way the couple defined a self-fulfilling prophecy, their definition was regarded as flexible in its meaning. On a societal level, there can be a consensus on what's deemed true depending on the importance of the part of the culture even if it is a false assumption and as a result of this perception of the culture it will become the outcome based on the behavior of the society. A person's perception can be "self-creating" if the belief they have is acted upon by their behavior which aligns with the outcome. Building on the Thomases’ idea, another American sociologist, Robert K. Merton, used the term "self-fulfilling prophecy" for it, popularizing the idea that "a belief or expectation, correct or incorrect, could bring about a desired or expected outcome." While Robert K. Merton is typically credited for this theory because he coined the name; however, the Thomases developed it earlier on—along with the philosophers Karl Popper and Alan Gerwith—who also independently contributed to the idea behind this theory in their works, which also came before Merton. Self-fulfilling prophecies are an example of the more general phenomenon of positive feedback loops.

How to pronounce self-fulfilling?

How to say self-fulfilling in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of self-fulfilling in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of self-fulfilling in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of self-fulfilling in a Sentence

  1. Marilyn Ferguson:

    Of all the self-fulfilling prophecies in our culture, the assumption that aging means decline and poor health is probably the deadliest.

  2. Olivier Blanchard:

    How much should we worry? This is where economics stops giving an answer, if ... the stock market slump lasts longer or gets worse, it can become self-fulfilling. Low stock prices lasting for long lead to lower consumption, lower demand, and, potentially, to a recession.

  3. R.J. Intindola:

    Don’t turn the truth into a lie using self-fulfilling prophecies. RJ Intindola

  4. Brad Mittman MD:

    Remember, happiness and negativity are largely self-fulfilling prophecies. We see whatever we choose to project on the world around us, and that reflects back to us like a huge movie screen. We are, then, at once the projectionist, the actor, and the audience in this movie called Life.

  5. Gabriel Sterling:

    If you're a Georgia voter, if you want your values reflected by your elected officials, I strongly beg and encourage you : Go vote tomorrow. Do not let anybody discourage you. Do not self-suppress your own vote. Do not make a self-fulfilling prophecy out of doing this. Don't let anybody steal your vote that way, that's what's happening if you self-suppress : You are taking away your important voice from this election.


Translations for self-fulfilling

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • خودشکوفاPersian
  • memuaskan diri sendiriIndonesian
  • ตอบสนองด้วยตนเองThai

Get even more translations for self-fulfilling »

Translation

Find a translation for the self-fulfilling definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"self-fulfilling." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/self-fulfilling>.

Discuss these self-fulfilling definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for self-fulfilling? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    self-fulfilling

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    large recently extinct long-horned European wild ox; considered one of the ancestors of domestic cattle
    A jocularity
    B allogamy
    C brashness
    D urus

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for self-fulfilling: