Sociology

Paul Watzlawick asserts that a self fulfilling prophecy is a guess about an outcome of a certain situation and the guess or prediction having been made causes the event to occur and, therefore proving the accuracy of the guess. He illustrates this in a number of ways beginning with the common thought of cause and effect thinking where an outcome is caused by another action.
This has been illustrated by asserting that the prediction comes true in some instances by the measures take to solve the prediction to happen whereby the solution causes the problem for instance the prediction of shortage in oil causes the perhaps the rise in oil prices as opposed to the actual shortage which should result in the rise in prices.

Watzlawick then refers to the reversal of the cause and effect (action and reaction) as seen in interpersonal relationships where the elements are as perceived subjectively from ones point of view as a reaction to the behavior of the other. This contradicts the assertion of cause and effect and inevitably leads to two different self fulfilling prophecies.

Watzlawick asserts that we are to blame for the realities produced by our hopes, dreams and thoughts since our mental creations which may not be based on reality but by our own prejudices, superstition and beliefs that are not mutually exclusive but affect not only people but also animals as seen by the results of the experiments carried out by Rosenthal which he documented in a book published in 1966. Our convictions, perceptions and beliefs materialize in reality and Rosenthal gives an illustration of people in a mental institution that by virtue of being there and being administered to medication aggravates the problem even if they are not necessarily mentally ill.

Psychiatric diagnoses as a part of self fulfilling prophesies is illustrated in phenomenon such as voodoo deaths and loss of will by inmates in a prison who eventually die. The reverse has been documented in hospitals where cancer patients who believed they have something to live for invariably deal better and survive longer than those who have lost their will to live.

In conclusion, Watzlawick demonstrates that individual assumptions, prejudices and attitudes lead to actual presentation of the predictions in real life and, therefore, validating the concept of self fulfilling prophecies.