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The Golem Effect is a psychological phenomenon where low expectations placed on individuals lead to poorer performance. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy where negative beliefs about someone’s potential hinder their actual achievement.
Key Takeaways
A golem made of stone or clay.
What the Research Says
The teachers who were high-bias, negatively treated the students they saw as possessing low potential while treating the others more favorably.
Strong and consistent manifestations of the Golem effect were observed. The outcomes revealed that the biased teachers’ negative expectations had not only shaped their treatment of the students, but also adversely impacted the students’ performance of the designed tasks.
Implications for Real Life
The research discoveries concerning the Golem effect unveil to us the far-reaching consequences of the Golem effect.
These may readily manifest in everyday interactions between parents and children, teachers and students, and employers and employees in various settings (InnerDrive, 2022):
Teachers may impact students” performance in manifold ways. For instance, they may be nicer toward students upon whom they may have placed high expectations while paying less attention to those they have perceived as possessing less potential.Such teachers may also treat these student populations vastly differently in providing constructive feedback and opportunities for growth, and bestowing praise (which could enhance the students’ self-esteem).While the students whom are placed with high expectations may be imbued with more confidence, the students who experience negative expectations may find themselves in a vicious cycle wherein low expectations engender lower levels of accomplishment, which, in turn, enhance such adverse expectations.
Teachers may impact students” performance in manifold ways. For instance, they may be nicer toward students upon whom they may have placed high expectations while paying less attention to those they have perceived as possessing less potential.
Such teachers may also treat these student populations vastly differently in providing constructive feedback and opportunities for growth, and bestowing praise (which could enhance the students’ self-esteem).
While the students whom are placed with high expectations may be imbued with more confidence, the students who experience negative expectations may find themselves in a vicious cycle wherein low expectations engender lower levels of accomplishment, which, in turn, enhance such adverse expectations.
Employers often have varying levels of expectations for their employees based on their perceived skills, motivation and potential.Consequently, those in supervisory roles may be inclined to dismiss ideas stemming from, micro-manage tasks assigned to, and lower the goals set for individuals for whom their expectations are not as high.Such treatment may in fact lead to employees engaging in conduct conforming to low managerial expectations. This could create a cycle of low productivity conducive neither to the future of the organization nor to the well-being of the employees.
Employers often have varying levels of expectations for their employees based on their perceived skills, motivation and potential.
Consequently, those in supervisory roles may be inclined to dismiss ideas stemming from, micro-manage tasks assigned to, and lower the goals set for individuals for whom their expectations are not as high.
Such treatment may in fact lead to employees engaging in conduct conforming to low managerial expectations. This could create a cycle of low productivity conducive neither to the future of the organization nor to the well-being of the employees.
Finally, the Golem effect in sports cannot escape notice. Coaches, often, must make crucial decisions based on their measurement of the players’ talents, capacities and potentials in choosing specific individuals for specific roles.However, this can also readily result in diverse external displays of expectations on a coach’s part, over different individuals in a team (Mahoney, 2011). These expectations may in turn, significantly impact the way various members of the team perform.Players from whom little accomplishment is anticipated might perform to conform to the stereotypes imposed upon them. Such outcomes, evidently, would adversely affect their athletic careers.
Finally, the Golem effect in sports cannot escape notice. Coaches, often, must make crucial decisions based on their measurement of the players’ talents, capacities and potentials in choosing specific individuals for specific roles.
However, this can also readily result in diverse external displays of expectations on a coach’s part, over different individuals in a team (Mahoney, 2011). These expectations may in turn, significantly impact the way various members of the team perform.
Players from whom little accomplishment is anticipated might perform to conform to the stereotypes imposed upon them. Such outcomes, evidently, would adversely affect their athletic careers.
Overcoming the Golem Effect
As serious as the Golem effect is, we are not without means to mitigate and overcome it. A two-step approach could be utilized for this purpose:
Cultivate Awareness
Individuals in supervisory roles should become aware of their capacity to shape the conduct of their subordinates. Parents, teachers, coaches and employers should realize that their interactions with those under their authority may readily convey their expectations for such individuals.
Developing strategies to guard against biases in such expectations is an essential step toward mitigating the Golem effect.
On the other hand, children, students, athletes and employees should develop their awareness of how the expectations of those above them might be shaping their behavior.
This would enlighten their understanding of how others’ low expectations could hinder their capacity for accomplishment, and immensely aid them in cultivating resilience.
Change Expectations
Those occupying positions of authority can replace negative expectations with positive ones.
Further Information
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.
Mahoney, R. (2011). “Chris Bosh and the self-fulfilling prophecy”. The New York Times.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Ayesh PereraResearcherB.A, MTS, Harvard UniversityAyesh Perera, a Harvard graduate, has worked as a researcher in psychology and neuroscience under Dr. Kevin Majeres at Harvard Medical School.
Ayesh PereraResearcherB.A, MTS, Harvard University
Ayesh Perera
Researcher
B.A, MTS, Harvard University
Ayesh Perera, a Harvard graduate, has worked as a researcher in psychology and neuroscience under Dr. Kevin Majeres at Harvard Medical School.
