Beliefs asSelf-Fulfilling PropheciesRoger BannisterOutlineBeliefs shape realityHow it worksOptimizing optimismRaising our beliefsWe are what we think.All that we are arises with our thoughts.With our thoughts, we make our world. The BuddhaPygmalionPygmalionPygmalionin the classroom (Robert Rosenthal)In theworkplaceJamieson (1987)“Treat a man as a he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he shall become as he can and should be.”Johann Wolfgang von GoetheThe Power of the SituationMilgrams Obedience to AuthorityZimbardos PrisonExperimentThe (Positive) Power of the Situationmen above 75week in “1959” resortmental and biological age decreasesLanger (1989)testing eyesightImproves with roleLanger (1979)Positive PrimingBargh (1999)Dijksterhuis & Van Knippenberg (1998)Creating a positive environmentpictures (people, places, etc)pleasant objects (memorabilia, flowers, etc)quotesbooks, films, musicpositive researchThe Self-Help Movement“Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve” Napoleon Hill“Whether you think you can or cantyou are right”Henry FordThe Self-Help Movement“Have great hopes and dare to go all out for them. Have great dreams and dare to live them. Have tremendous expectations and believe in them.” Norman Vincent PealeAlbert Bandura on Self Efficacy“Beliefs in personal efficacy affect life choices, level of motivation, quality of functioning, resilience to adversity and vulnerability to stress and depression.”“People who regard themselves as highly efficacious act, think, and feel differently from those who perceive themselves as inefficacious. They produce their own future, rather than simply foretell it.”Cultivated over timeCurry (1997) on college athletesNathaniel Branden on Self-Esteem“The level of our self-esteem has profound consequences for every aspect of our existence: how we operate in the workplace, how we deal with people, how high we are likely to rise, how much we are likely to achieveand, in the personal realm, with whom we are likely to fall in love, how we interact with our spouse, children, and friends, what level of personal happiness we attain.”“Self concept is destiny.”The Placebo EffectBeliefs as Self-fulfilling Prophecies BeliefsExpectationsPerformanceMotivationConsistencyInterpretationObjectiveSubjective“I failed my way to success” Thomas EdisonOptimism and Pessimism (Seligman)Interpretation stylePermanent/temporaryPervasive/specificSuccessMental/physical healthimmune systemresiliencehappinesslongevityIt can be learned!Optimizing OptimismWhat about unrealistic beliefs?Optimizing OptimismWhat about unrealistic beliefs?The Stockdale ParadoxPositive thinking is not enough“False optimism sooner or later means disillusionment, anger and hopelessness.” Abraham MaslowThe “Secret” of SuccessOptimism, passion, hard work. “There is no substitute for hard work.” Thomas Edison “I am a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the luckier I get.” Thomas JeffersonWhat About Happiness and Self-Esteem?Do high expectations lead to disappointment?Self-esteem=success/pretensionsWilliam JamesCoping versus AvoidanceSelf perception theory (Bem, 1967)realizing the pain of actual failuremore successOn Becoming An OptimistJust do it! (action)Imagine that (visualization)Cognitive therapy (rational thinking)Taking Action (Bandura)Hard Work CopingSuccessSelf-EfficacyTo dare is to lose ones footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself. Soren KierkegaardImagining SuccessThe mind as simulator (Kosslyn, 1994)Focus on journey and destination (Taylor, 2005)Involve different sensesEvoke emotionsCognitive TherapyThoughts drive emotionRestoring rationality/realismHighly effectiveAn acquired skillAvoiding the 3 Ms1.Magnifying (exaggerating)a.Permanent and Pervasive (over-generalizing)b.All-or-nothing thinking2.Minimizing (underplaying)a.Tunnel visionb.Dismissal of positive or negative3.Making up (fabricating)a.Personalization or blameb.Emotional reasoningGet Real!Is my conclusion tied to reality?Is my conclusion rational?Am I ignoring something important?What important evidence do I still need to take into consideration?What am I magnifying?What am I minimizing?Am I ignoring anything that is going well?Am I ignoring anything that is not going well?What is the big picture?Extremely Happy People (Diener and Seligman, 2002)Everyone experiences negative emotionsDifferent cognitive interpretations (pessimists vs. optimists)Self-fulfilling propheciesSpiraling down or up Ayres, J. & Hopf, T. (1992). Visualization: Reducing Speech Anxiety and Enhancing Performance. Communication Reports, 5, 1-10. Bandura, A. (1999). Perceived Self-Efficacy in Cognitive Development and Functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28 (2), 117-148. Benson, H. (1997). Timeless Healing. Scribner. Burns, D. (1999). Feeling Good : The New Mood Therapy. Avon. Langer, E. (1989). Mindfulness. Addison-Wesley. Leahy, R. L. (2003). Cognitive Therapy Techniques: A Practitioners Guide. Guilford Publication. White, S. S. & Locke, E. A. (2000). Problems with the Pygmalion Effect and Some Proposed Solutions. Leadership Quarterly, 11, 389-415. Rosenthal, R., and Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the Classroom. New York: Rinehart and Winston. Selgiman, M. (1998). Learned Optimism : How to Change Your Mind and Your Life. Free Press.Bibliography and Recommendations