The Self-fulfilling Prophecy And The Power Of The Spoken Word

the self-fulfilling prophecy and the power of the spoken word

hellour again! i’m free these days, so i’d thought i’d make another long post; this time about the self-fulfilling prophecy and how Florence Scovel Shinn writes about a similar concept in her book The Game of Life and How to Play it. specifically, in the third chapter.

i really like Scovel Shinn’s works, especially because she was one of the pioneers of the New Thought school at the time, even before Neville. it’s clear that she was a very wise metaphysical author, and more people should give her some credit!

i love my major, and i love manifestation. so any chance i have to correlate both is one i will take!

remember the academic book i got this information from is Social Psychology 11th Edition authored by Kassin, Fein and, H.R. Markus. i’ll try to condense the information to make it less convoluted and understandable.

what is the self-fulfilling prophecy?

according to sociologist Robert Merton, the self-fulfilling prophecy is a process by which one’s expectation about someone will eventually lead to that person behaving in ways that confirm those expectations. in other words, the perceiver's (person who takes note of another) expectation can actually lead to its own fulfillment, a self fulfilling prophecy.

this hypothesis actually lay dormant until Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson, published the results of their research in a book titled Pygmalion in the Classroom.

what did this study consist of? well, these researchers noticed that teachers had higher expectations for students who performed better in the classroom and they wondered whether these expectations influenced student performance rather than the other way around.

to address the question, they told teachers in a San Francisco elementary school that certain pupils were on the verge of an intellectual growth spurt. the results of an IQ test were cited, but in fact, the pupils had been randomly selected. eight months later, when real tests were administered, the "late bloomers" exhibited an increase in their IQ scores compared with children assigned to a control group. they were also evaluated more favorably by their classroom teachers (Kassin 144).

why should we be careful about what we say?

we can transform our expectations of others into reality using a three-step process:

- first, a perceiver forms an impression of a target person, which may be based on interactions with the target or on other information.

- second, the perceiver behaves in a manner that is consistent with that first impression.

- third, the target person unwittingly adjusts his or her behavior to the perceiver's actions. The net result is behavioral confirmation of the first impression.

in simpler terms, what we think is what we project onto others. that process is called the confirmation bias. this is nothing more than the perceiver asking the target person questions that confirm their beliefs. for example, if we assume that a person is in a varsity team because of the jacket they’re wearing, we will ask them things that either confirm or deny that assumption. small things like these that we do unconsciously:

“are you on the basketball team?”

“do you go to blank university?”

we can also apply this to ourselves:

On a more personal level, the self-fulfilling prophecy is a process that can have particularly sad and ironic effects on people who are insecure about their social relationships. Studying what they have called the rejection prophecy, Danu Stinson, Jessica Cameron, and others have found that (1) people who are insecure are fearful of rejection, which makes them tense and awkward in the social situations, and that (2) their resulting behavior is off-putting to others, which (3) increases the likelihood of rejection and reinforces their initial insecurity (Cameron et al., 2010; Stinson et al., 2009). Fortunately, there is a way to break this vicious cycle. In a three-phase study that spanned 8 weeks, Stinson and others (2011) found that participants who were provided with an early opportunity to affirm the self by writing about values that were important to them became more secure over time and more relaxed in their social interactions.

(shown on a pic because i don’t wanna copy paste the info :D)

using psychology to tie into the law and my previous long post about the self-concept, we can see why words and the way we perceive ourselves is important when we reprogram our minds into thinking in a more positive light.

Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How to Play It

chapter III, The Power of the Word

“By thy words shalt be justified, and by thy words shalt be condemned.”

what does Scovel Shinn say about the spoken word?

in her first book The Game of Life and How to Play It, she mentions a saying that reads: “man only dares use his words for three purposes: to heal, bless or prosper.” she also mentions that what man says of others will be said of him, and what he wishes for another, he is wishing for himself (Scovel 24).

“Curses, like chickens, come home to roost.”

what does this mean? well, like we saw in the bit about the self-fulfilling prophecy, what we say about others is what we attract for ourselves. for example, if we wish ill on—say—another tumblr user, we are sure to receive it as well. on the other hand, if we are kind to one another and support our journeys with manifestation, we will be able to reach our own success.

edward art mentions this too. but he calls it something more simple. love.

Scovel Shinn mentions in this chapter that when the subconscious is flooded with good things, or words in this case, the superconscious (God or imagination) and man are one.

“It is safe to say that all sickness and happiness come from the violation of the Law of Love.”

in this story she mentions an actress with a terrible skin disease:

For example: A woman I know, had, for years an appearance of a terrible skin disease. The doctors told her it was incurable, and she was in despair. She was on the stage, and she feared she would soon have to give up her profession, and she had no other means of support. She, however, procured a good engagement, and on the opening night, made a great "hit." She received flattering notices from the critics, and was joyful and elated. The next day she received a notice of dismissal. A man in the cast had been jealous of her success and had caused her to be sent away. She felt hatred and resentment taking complete possession of her, and she cried out, "Oh God don't let me hate that man." That night she worked for hours "in the silence." She said, "I soon came into a very deep silence. I seemed to be at peace with myself, with the man, and with the whole world. I continued this for two following nights, and on the third day I found I was healed completely of the skin disease!" In asking for love, or good will, she had fulfilled the law, ("for love is the fulfilling of the law") and the disease (which came from subconscious resentment) was wiped out.

as we can see in this story, any problems in the outside world indicate a deeper issue in the mind.

“As the within, so the without.”

why do i say that Florence Scovel Shinn’s beliefs coincide with the self-fulfilling prophecy?

we know that the self fulfilling prophecy implies that the way we perceive others is the way they will reflect on the outside. this is what the good-will Scovel Shinn mentions is about.

"But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you and persecute you."

conclusion

sometimes we get jealous of others' journeys. we read a success story and wonder “what am i doing wrong? maybe if i do what this person did i will manifest all my desires.” but remember we’re all different. what works for another might not work for us, and that’s okay :)

the beauty about spirituality is that we all have our own paths to follow, each with their unique experiences. trying out techniques you don’t like because you saw them in a “this is the fastest way to manifest” video will not fulfill you. and what doesn’t fulfill you will only make you give up.

i’ve seen this thrown around loablr and shiftblr, but i’ll reiterate in this post. please don’t police others on their journey. the only thing that will do is set you back.

next time you see a success story around the community, be happy for them! if anything, it’s a great thing to see on your dash because it's proof that the law always works in your favor. every time. so let’s wish each other well, practice gratitude, and focus on ourselves!

"There is peace on earth for him who sends goodwill to man!"

ps im plugging the song i listened to while writing this post because sharing is caring. take care!

More Posts from Niniiiyyyy and Others

niniiiyyyy

1 year ago

The whole thing is finished and all I do is adjust to it and "feel” myself there until it becomes natural.

—Neville Goddard

42 notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

1 year ago

“You can believe anything if you do not accept the facts your senses dictate: for nothing is impossible to imagine. Imagining, if persisted in and believed, will create its own reality.”

—Neville Goddard

3 notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

1 year ago

19K notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

11 months ago

i saw two success stories where they 'detached' or 'gave up' on their manifestation, (essentially they both stopped thinking about it, but the one who 'gave up' literally gave up because they thought that they weren't doing it right), and then it manifested, but how do i do that if i'm really excited about what i'm manifesting? like i always think about it or it comes to mind on its own

Detachment refers to the understanding that you have what you desire. It's less "if I stop thinking about it, then it will come" (very conditional, don't do that to yourself) and more "I know I have it, what's there to worry about?"

So you can be excited and think about your desire as much as you want. Nothing wrong with that. Just make sure to remember you already have it and that you don't have to worry about it.

Example: Being in love with someone. Your hypothetical SP in this scenario can be running through your mind nonstop because you love them, but you wouldn't worry about whether or not they liked you and wanted to date you, because you know they already do.

29 notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

2 years ago

𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩

you could be getting your desire at any time. persist. know that everything that you desire is yours. you could be 5 seconds away from getting your desire, but you gave up. you could be 1 minute away from entering the void state, but you gave up. instead of giving up, persist. persist in knowing that everything that you desire is already yours. persist in the 4d, live in your imagination. you can't ignore your 3d? that's a lie. you're just not disciplining yourself. neville was able to manifest getting out of a war and being sent home back to his family in a matter of 9 days! how he did it? persistence. he persisted in his 4d, lived in his imagination. know that everything that you desire is already yours. no matter what you see in your 3d currently, you already have what you desire. live in your 4d. know that your desires are already yours. no matter what your eyes see throughout the mirror, you already have what you desire. ignore the 3d. no matter what, you already have what you desire. your desires have to show up in the 3d. it's the law. stop giving up if you don’t see your results in your 3d. the only reason why you’re not seeing them, is because you keep thinking that they’re not there. live in your imagination, be involved with your 4d, engage with your mind, have inner conversations. when you constantly look in the mirror for “proof,” it's going to put a barrier between you and your manifestations, because you’re so longing to seek your results in the 3d instead of working in your 4d (your mind). your inner reality is your only reality. stop worrying, all that you desire is already yours, no matter what! you will see it once you stop caring so much about the 3d. joseph murphy once said that “your subconscious mind doesn’t have eyes it only takes in what you give it” and it's true. your subconscious only takes in what you tell it! if you’re still having doubts and worries about what you’re manifesting, it’ll take you a while for you to physically see what you already have. flip that negative thought around. breathe, meditate, do some eft tapping or what you want to do and persist in your assumptions. you’re limitless and can create anything you want with your mind. your mind is powerful. you are powerful. now go be a limitless creator and create the reality that you desire!

1K notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

1 year ago

let’s stop being affected by someone else’s opinion of what we want.. like who df asked?? ty.

325 notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

1 year ago

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

The power of mindset🧁

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

“Hot is a mindset”

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

Haven’t you heard people tell you to “shift your mindset”, “hot is a mindset”… blah blah blah…. Well, I’m here to tell you just how important that is & how to do it.

this isn’t just to manifest stuff, but also, to change the way people treat you, and how you treat yourself.

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

personal successes

y’all, when I tell you I went from an unpopular, quiet, ‘ugly’ girlie to one of the prettiest girls in my school, with multiple people crushing on me and asking me out… ALL because I shifted my mindset! I am not joking, I swear by the fact that mindset is the most important thing ever.

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

You do realise that what you are is literally what you think you are right? Like the reason people see you as pretty or ugly is because of how you act, how you talk about yourself, how you treat yourself…

treat yourself like an option- you are an option. why TF would anyone not want you? My love, you are just the same as the ‘girl everyone wants’ seriously… I used to have a friend (my “best friend”) who used to constantly put me down, treat me bad, cancel plans etc, and I kept following her around, begging her for attention. Now, let me tell you, she wasn’t anyone special, not popular, pretty, smart, nothing, she just never treated me well to the point where I was desperate for her to like me. When I realised this, I stopped being so pathetic, and actually realised my worth. I surrounded myself with people who actually care about me, and now, she desperately wants to be my friend. REALISE YOUR WORTH BABE.

how? Well I told myself I deserved better. I assumed I was someone who deserved good friends, because guess what? I am. beauty standards don’t exist. like literally. everyone has a different idea of beauty. So why can’t you be the most stunning person in the room? blow a kiss to yourself, tell yourself you are beautiful. Treat yourself like you are beautiful, because you are. if someone compliments you, accept it.

stop putting yourself down, it’s not cute. Why would the most beautiful person in the world call themselves ugly. When you treat yourself like that others will treat you like that to.

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

how to do it! - tell yourself what you are. Constantly, if you look into the mirror and don’t like what you see, do a little twirl, do something that makes you feel good about yourself. -compliment others. seriously, because this way, people will associate you with whatever you complemented them as. A.K.A: “you are sooo cute” = I know I’m cute, so I’m not afraid to compliment other girls, to help them be more confident. -affirmations. and sooo much more.

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

with love, sparkle, and a little bit of fairy dust,

🎀⊹🌷˚. ♡Barbie! 🧁*ੈ🩰✩xoxo‧₊🫧˚

₊˚⊹♡───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆────────────♡⊹˚₊

375 notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

1 year ago

Nothing is impossible to the mind. All it's guidance and power are available to you. When you fully realize that thought causes all, you will know there are never any limits that you yourself do not impose.

—U.S. Andersen

189 notes View Post

niniiiyyyy

1 year ago