心灵驿站 | 在实现梦想之前，先“做梦”吧

1948年，罗伯特·默顿提出了“自证预言”的概念：对情景的虚假定义引起了一系列新的行为，这些行为使得最初的虚假情景成为现实。这种现象可以是积极的，也可以是消极的，它强调了心理暗示和自我实现的强大力量。

In 1948, Robert K. Merton introduced the concept of “self-fulfilling prophecy” : a false definition of a scenario elicits a new set of actions that make the original false scenario a reality. This phenomenon can be positive or negative, and it underscores the power of psychological suggestion and self-actualization.

举例来说，倘若我们在内心深处认定自己缺乏运动天赋，每次踏上运动场时，这种信念便会如阴云般笼罩心头。它会削弱我们的积极性，使我们在面对挑战时轻易退缩，从而导致运动表现不尽人意，最终“验证”了我们最初的自我认知。

For example, if we are fully convinced that we lack athletic talent, this belief will linger in our heart every time we step onto the field. It will weaken our motivation and make us shy away from challenges, leading to poor athletic performance and ultimately “validating” our initial self-perception.

反之，若我们坚信自己拥有卓越的语言学习能力，这种积极的信念会在我们学习新语言时化作强大的动力。它会驱使我们主动寻找学习资源，勇敢地与他人交流，即便遇到困难也毫不气馁。最终，我们的语言水平会得到显著提高，有力地印证了我们积极的自我预期。

Conversely, if we believe that we have excellent language learning ability, this positive belief can become a powerful motivation when we learn a new language. It will drive us to actively seek out learning resources, bravely communicate with others, and not be discouraged even when we encounter difficulties. In the end, our language level will be improved significantly, which strongly confirms our positive self-expectations.

‍并不是所有的自证预言都是有利于我们生活和成长的。

有研究显示：消极自证预言可能比积极自证预言更有力，因为人们通常认为负面信息比正面信息更有用，为了不出现“期望越大，失望越多”的情况，人们往往会提前做出悲观的预判。

比方说，如果你预想到了自己不会在某项比赛中获奖，最后面对结果时就不会那么难过。

Not all self-fulfilling prophecies are beneficial for our life and growth. 

Researches have shown that negative self-corroborating predictions may be more powerful than positive self-corroborating predictions, because people generally think that negative information is more useful than positive information, and people tend to make pessimistic predictions in advance in order to avoid a situation of “greater expectation, more disappointment”. 

For example, if you anticipate that you won't win a certain competition, you’ll be less upset about the result.

与此同时，也有大量研究提供了“积极的自证预言更有力”的证据。相比于批评，人们会对夸赞做出更多的反应。如果人们能够积极看待自己的目标，将注意力集中在积极预言的有效性上，并且相信它能够实现，积极预言成为现实的可能性就越大。也就是说，如果我们能积极地看待问题，那么积极自证预言就更加容易实现！

At the same time, there is also a large body of research providing the evidence that positive self-fulfilling prophecies are more powerful. People respond more to praise than to criticism. If people can think positively about their goals, focus on the validity of the positive prediction, and believe that it can be fulfilled, the more likely it is that the positive prediction will become a reality. In other words, if we can view the problem positively, then positive self-fulfilling prophecy will be easier to fufill!

在人际关系的舞台上，若我们总是担忧自己不被他人喜欢，与人交往时就可能会表现得过于小心翼翼、谨小慎微。这种不自然的态度可能会让人感到疏离，从而使人际关系陷入困境。

然而，当我们内心笃定自己是一个值得交往、充满魅力的人，我们会展现出真诚、自信和友善的一面。这种积极的能量会吸引他人向你靠近，帮助我们建立起丰富、深厚且充满温暖的人际关系网络。

If we are always worried that we will not be liked by others, we may behave too cautiously and discreetly when interacting with others. This unnatural attitude can make people feel alienated, which can put interpersonal relationships in trouble.

However,when we are convinced that we are a desirable and charming person to interact with, we will show our sincerity, confidence and kindness. This positive energy draws others to you and helps us build a rich, deep and warm interpersonal network.

对于个人心理健康，“自证预言”的作用同样不可小觑。如果长期沉浸在“自己是个失败者”的消极思维中，容易产生焦虑、抑郁等负面情绪，严重影响生活质量和幸福感。

相反，秉持着“我能克服一切困难”的乐观态度，能够增强心理韧性，使我们在面对挫折时保持积极的心态，更快地从困境中恢复，促进心理健康的良性发展。

For individual mental health, The role of “self-fulfilling prophecy” can also be crucial to individual mental health. If you are always immersed in the negative thinking of “I am a loser” for a long time, it is easy to produce some negative emotions such as anxiety and depression and other negative emotions, which will seriously affect the quality of life and happiness.

On the contrary,holding the optimistic attitude of “I can overcome all difficulties” can enhance psychological resilience, so that we can maintain a positive attitude in the face of setbacks, recover from dilemma faster, and promote the positive development of mental health.

本次分享的心理健康小贴士就到这里啦，希望大家都可以打破自己的负面自证预言，拥抱那个梦了很久的未来！

Alright, that's all for our mental health tips this time. Hoping you can break your negative self-fulfilling prophecies, and embrace the future you’ve been dreaming of for a long time!