The Pygmalion Effect isn’t only about couples. If you are single, you can reflect on how expectations from parents, siblings, friends, teachers, colleagues or other important people may have influenced the way you see yourself. And also think about the expectations you now hold about yourself or others. For example, if someone repeatedly heard, ‘You’re not capable,’ ‘You’ll never succeed,’ or ‘You’re too difficult,’ they may eventually start internalising some of those messages.
On the positive side, sometimes just one person genuinely believing in our abilities can encourage us to try something we might otherwise have avoided. 🌱
So for someone who is single, the reflection could be:
❓*Whose expectations have influenced the way I see myself today?*
❓ And are those beliefs actually mine, or have I carried someone else’s expectations with me?
❓*Have I already decided who someone is, and could that belief be influencing how I treat them?*