The self-fulfilling prophecy is one of the most important theoretical notions to have arisen in social psychology. The idea that one individual, entrapped in the expectations and stereotypes of others, can somehow be caused to fulfill those expectations, holds out the promise of understanding many important social phenomena, ranging from the ways in which negatively stereotyped children are left behind in the educational process, to the ways in which those who have sought treatment for mental illness are labelled by others and treated in a fashion that can sustain or increase their difficulties. Despite the clear social importance of the self-fulfilling prophecy, there has been little theory developed to predict the conditions under which the effect will take place, or to specify how the effect can be avoided. Darley and Hilton outline a general model of social interaction and perception which emphasizes the goal-directed nature of these endeavors. Based upon this model, these researchers derive specific predictions about both the occurrence and non-occurrence of self-fulfilling prophecy effects and will conduct a series of experiments which test these predictions. If these predictions are confirmed, then two purposes will have been fulfilled. First, there will be evidence for the validity of a view of social interaction and perception in which the strategies and goals of the participants are accorded central importance. Second, there will be a good deal of evidence about the workings of the self-fulfilling prophecy. More specifically, there will be some confirmation for a theory that specifies not just that self-fulfilling prophecies exist, but begins to delimit the conditions under which these prophecy effects occur. At the level of policy, this should mean that we can go beyond deploring the existence of self-fulfilling prophecies and "cautioning against" their occurrence, to make some specific recommendations about how their pernicious effects can be avoided or even reversed.
