A self-fulfilling prophesy is a prediction which is made true by the fact that people believe it. One mechanism which can explain self-fulfilling prophesies is that the belief that something will happen causes people to adapt their behavior in such a way that the result is likely to come about. For example, a person who believes himself or herself destined for failure is, because of this pessimism, unlikely to cultivate the sorts of habits that might lead to success.
