Pythagoras has been saying for more than 20 centuries: “Educate your children and there will be no need to punish men. “The Unknown Golem Effect bets on the opposite idea. We’ll learn more about it below.
Before attempting to understand the Golem effect, also known as the Negative Pygmaleo effect, it is interesting to remember what the Pygmaleo effect is from a psychological point of view.
- We understand by pigmaleo effect what happens when one person.
- Thinking that he can create a power of influence over another.
- Ends up receiving that influence himself.
- Then the effect has a lot to do with expectations.
- And is closely related to another.
- Effect.
- That of self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Which says that we observe reality as we believe it.
- So that.
- In turn.
- It is in fact consistent with what we originally believed because we acted as such.
Clearly, this effect is paramount in the education and development of children. Teachers, parents, and guardians tend to encourage children to try to explore their potential so they can do whatever they want, become capable. However, we only do this if we have positive expectations and then end up realizing our expectations of our actions.
As Pythagoras said, it is part of teaching children to be more balanced and confident adults.
Unfortunately, what we bring here today is the opposite effect, the Golem effect is the opposite of the Pigmaleo effect, in this process called the Golem effect, a third party conditions, due to their negative expectations, that a child has low self-esteem and is not considered capable to achieve your goals.
The Golem effect and the Pygmy effect nourish the child. If a child is encouraged and achieves his goal, he or she will feel able to go much further, otherwise if you think you are incompetent and inferior, you will not set many goals that will help you grow.
“In every child you have to put a sign written: beware, it contains fragile dreams. “Mirko Badiale
It is interesting to note that the Golem effect and the Pygmaleo effect are constantly reproduced in the school and university sphere, unfortunately today it is also very present in some social niches and work environments.
On the educational side, Jacobson and Rosenthal are the researchers who have studied the effect more assiduously, devoted themselves to investigating the functioning of self-fulfilling prophecy, and noted that many teachers performed certain classifications of their students, albeit unconscious.
Thus, and in a totally irrational way, they ended up influencing the performance of the students, since they facilitated with their actions that their expectations for each student were met.
An example could be seen in these types of teachers who think that one student is less intelligent than the other, in this way, it is more likely that the goals proposed by the teacher for what he considers less intelligent are much simpler, so even if he/she does not want to, this will end with less knowledge.
The truth is that it is very difficult to avoid this effect, let us follow the previous example about a teacher: he generates expectations in relation to his students, automatically and with little information about them, and then acts in the world according to them. expectations, finally making them come true.
According to available data, children who receive more constant stimulation perform better in school, so the phenomenon reverberates, in a Golem effect cycle in some children and another cycle of Pygmy Effect in others.
As makes sense, the first step in preventing this negative phenomenon would be to become aware of it, especially teachers, but we are also talking about parents or family members and guardians who should be aware of the perversity and consequences of this effect.
Moreover, this effect has consequences that go beyond the academic world. Consider that, for example, a child’s performance in school may also end up affecting their overall self-esteem.
On the other hand, as we leave the field of education a little, we can also observe this effect, as well as its opposite effect, on the working environment, it is common for bosses to have expectations of their employees, to act according to those expectations and, thus, by the way they act, they end up turning their expectations into reality.
“Education is not a preparation for life. Education is life itself. -John Dewey-
In fact, we may even be, or have been, unconscious victims of the Golem effect. As something so irrational, almost implanted in our consciousness, we are not aware of the suffering and harm it causes.
In this sense, it is important to test techniques that allow us, such as teachers, parents, bosses or guardians, to be more aware and less prejudiced, options such as mindfulness or meditation, which seek to provide a more complete consciousness, could be useful. in this regard.