Golem effect: what it is and how it limits us through expectations

The Golem effect makes people insecure based on the expectations of others.

Do you know the Golem effect? Do you know how it is related to the Pygmalion effect or to the self-fulfilling prophecy, to stereotypes, and how this effect has been studied?

If you want to find out the answer to these questions, and above all, if you are passionate about social psychology but also educational psychology... do not hesitate to read the article to the end!

Golem effect: what does it consist of?

The Golem effect, also called the Negative Pygmalion effect, is a phenomenon that can be framed within social psychology. This psychological phenomenon consists of the following: placing very low expectations on someone (or on oneself) leads to poorer performance of the individual.

Why does this happen and how is it explained? We will see it throughout the article and through a very clear example.

First, however, the Golem effect has been studied not only from the point of view of social psychology, but also from the point of view of educational and organizational psychology. A little further on, we will talk about the first research that had the Golem effect as an object of study, by Leonore Jacobson and Robert Rosenthal.

Thus, in other words, what happens in the Golem effect, is that a person can condition another person and make him/her believe that he/she is not capable of doing something, thus diminishing his/her self-esteem.thus diminishing their self-esteem. This effect, however, often happens unconsciously. However, the consequences for the person who has been "prejudiced" can be very negative, because they would be limiting their potential.

To understand this phenomenon a little better, let's think of an example in the educational field.

Example

If a teacher emphasizes that a student is unable to develop a series of tasks, or to pass his subject, it is very likely that this student will stagnate and this "negative prophecy" will actually be fulfilled.

Thus, in the Golem effect teachers' expectations of their students are based on little information and arise automatically.These expectations often indirectly and unconsciously cause them to act in a way that is consistent with this negative outcome; in other words, their behavior may in part be contributing to the negative outcome of their student.

This does not mean that teachers are responsible for school failure. The Golem effect can be extrapolated to other areas and situations beyond academia, for example, when we have very low expectations about someone and these expectations are met (at work, in personal relationships, etc.).

This is the Golem effect, which can be extrapolated to other areas and situations beyond the academic field, for example when we have very low expectations about someone and these are met (at work, in personal relationships, etc.).

Its relationship with the Pygmalion effect and the self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Golem effect has much to do with two other phenomena of social psychology: the self-fulfilling prophecy and the Pygmalion effect.

The Pygmalion effect is precisely the opposite of the Golem effect, in that it the Golem effect, which is that the fact of placing high expectations on someone (specifically, on their performance), positively influences their performance, so that it improves. It is for this reason that the Golem effect is also called the Negative Pygmalion effect, because it consists of the opposite effect.

Thus, in both the Pygmalion effect and the Golem effect, it is argued that our beliefs in relation to others influence their performance. All this is also closely related to expectations, and from here we can link both phenomena directly to the phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Self-fulfilling prophecy, in turn, refers to the fact that predicting or believing in something of a psychological nature makes it easier for it to be fulfilledbecause we end up developing behaviors that facilitate it. That is to say, the fact of believing it ends up being the cause of its occurrence.

What does the research say?

As we have already seen through an example in the educational field, the Golem effect occurs in several areas of life, but especially in the academic field.

But who began to study the Golem effect, along with the Pygmalion effect and the self-fulfilling prophecy? It was Leonore Jacobson, a school principal in San Francisco (California), and Robert Rosenthal, a psychologist, who began a series of investigations into these psychological phenomena.

Through their studies, Jacobson and Rosenthal observed that, unconsciously, many teachers rated their students; this fact influenced their students' performance.This fact influenced their students' performance, since, also unconsciously, teachers facilitated or hindered the implementation of means and behaviors so that their initial "predictions" would end up being fulfilled.

Reflections on this phenomenon

After analyzing the Golem effect, the following question may arise: can this effect be stopped? Although it may be difficult, it is certainly possible. How? Through the task of detecting these prior biases in people (e.g., teachers) in relation to the capabilities or potential performance of other people, or of students, in the case of teachers.

That is to say, ideally, teachers should believe in all their students and encourage and stimulate their performance to the same extent (although there will always be students who need more attention).

So we are faced with a very complex issue, because in the end we all have expectations, we all have biases, we all make predictions based on certain parameters... and our behavior, whether we want it or not, often goes according to these predictions, as if we unconsciously want to "be right" (although this behavior is precisely so irrational).

Relationship with stereotypes

At this point, and after talking about the Golem effect, its characteristics and differences with the self-fulfilling prophecy and the Pygmalion Effect... a very important concept in social psychology may have come to your mind: the phenomenon of stereotypes.

Stereotypes are those pre-established ideas or beliefs that we have in relation to a group or to certain types of people. or certain types of people, for example. They are ideas that have been transmitted to us by society, school, family... and that we inherit in our mental imaginary.

These ideas are usually erroneous beliefs, because they try to define a group of people according to traits "typically associated" with them, without any basis. An example of a stereotype would be to think that "all Italians are Latin lovers".

How does the Goleman effect relate to stereotypes? Basically, in a certain way stereotypes may be playing a causal role in this effect (although not always). (although not always), since based on them we create ideas in our heads about how a certain person will perform.

On the other hand, just as with stereotypes, when the Goleman effect occurs it is because we are creating an idea, or making a prediction, based on little information and almost automatically.

Bibliographical references:

• Babad, E. Y., Inbar, J., & Rosenthal, R. (1982). Pygmalion, Galatea, and the Golem: Investigations of biased and unbiased teachers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(4), 459-474.
• Castillo, R. (2014). The Pygmalion effect.To what extent does others' view of us determine our future? Final Degree Project, Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences. Pontifical University.
• Morales, J.F. (2007). Social psychology. Editorial: S.A. McGraw-Hill / Interamericana de España.
• Rosenthal, R. & Jacobson, L.F. (1968). Teacher Expectations for the Disadvantaged. Scientific American, 218(4): 19-23.