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Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro                     First shown on February 25, 2022

Self-Fulfilling Prophesies 

There are three types of negative Self-Fulfilling-Prophesies that coaches and teachers will experience while working with learners.

The first one was dealt with extensively in our 2/25/2022 blog - the adult mentors putting labels on their players and the players accepting and being affected by them.

The second is when the player is doing the self-labeling. It is more subtle and we mentors have to be more aware of what  the player is doing. “Coach, I don’t move fast enough - I could never be a good goalkeeper.” We can affirm that or we can have a positive interaction with the player.

A label that is often given to players haphazardly is ‘natural’.  The risk associated with being labeled natural are quite profound.  The labeled individual may come to believe that hard work and positive attitude are not requirements of growth.  Additionally, frustration may ensue when the inevitable struggles of learning arise.  ‘Why can’t I do this?  I’m a natural.”

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Peter McGahey & Peter Pierro                         February 25, 2022

Several years ago, I was asked to speak to a group of coaches on the topic “Grouping and Self-Image.” This is a topic I have strong feelings about because I believe that any label regardless of intent, has an effect on the person bearing it. I wrote and delivered a talk entitled, “Does the Label on the Can Affect the Contents of the Can?” 

If you take the label off a can of corn and replace it with a label from a can of tomatoes, the can still contains corn. If you put a new label on a child; for example, “gifted,” “slow,” “high group,” “lazy”; do you affect the quality of the child?

All of us have had to deal with labels that others put on us. Sometimes we simply accept the label and act out the role. “They gave us the name, so we’ll play the game.” Sometimes we revolt and act out a role completely different or exactly opposite of that which is expected.

I recall discussing this in one of my college classes and an independent type young lady said, “My boss wanted me to do “X” and I did “Y”, the exact opposite.” I asked her, “What did you want to do, “X” or “Y”? She replied, “I wanted to do “X”, but I wouldn’t give him the control position.” And so I asked, “So, who was in control of your actions?”  “Eureka”, she cried. (Not really) She did see that she had not allowed herself to be controlled, but, at the same time, she also did not take control of her actions.

How about children? I see many children reacting negatively to unfair labels. And I see many children accepting the labels being printed on their self-images. I’m troubled at the times when I’m being shown around a field by a coach and he or she says, “This is my low group; my non-players.” The message is that they will remain “low” and be “non-players.” “After all, Coach, that very important person, says that’s who I am.”

The Coach told Lisa’s dad that she was too slow to be a goalkeeper. Dad relayed that “fact” to Lisa. Lisa gave up her dream to be the goalkeeper and kind of gave up on her thinking of being a hockey player.