Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Definition

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true due to the positive feedback between belief and behavior. In politics, this can refer to how public opinion or political predictions can influence the actions of voters, politicians, or policy outcomes.

Related terms

Confirmation Bias: This refers to our tendency to search for and favor information that confirms our beliefs while simultaneously ignoring or devaluing information that contradicts our beliefs.

Bandwagon Effect: This is a psychological phenomenon where people do something primarily because others are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they may ignore or override.

Political Socialization: This term refers to the process by which individuals learn and frequently internalize a political lens framing their perceptions of how power is arranged and how the world around them is (and should be) organized; those perceptions are shaped more by the person's societal environment than by his/her genetics.