SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY AND "THE LITTLE ENGINE

THAT COULD"BY BONNIE POWELL 

PSYCHOLOGY BASIS...

•

SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY CAN BE DEFINED AS A BELIEF THAT CAUSES ITSELF TO BECOME TRUE. 

EXAMPLES • POSITIVE EXAMPLE: 

• YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE GOOD AT DANCING SO YOU GET EXCITED FOR DANCE CLASS AND NEVER MISS A CLASS. AS A RESULT YOU ACTUALLY DO BECOME GOOD AT DANCING AND ALWAYS WORK HARD TO BE READY FOR PERFORMANCES AND BECAUSE OF YOUR HARD WORK YOU WIN AN AWARD FOR BEST DANCER. ALL BECAUSE YOU BELIEVED YOU WERE A GOOD DANCER.  

• NEGATIVE EXAMPLE:  

• YOUR MOM TELLS YOU SHE WAS ALWAYS A BAD SPELLER AND SO YOU PROBABLY WILL BE TOO. THEREFOR YOU NEVER LOOK FORWARD TO SPELLING TESTS AND NEVER STUDY VERY HARD BECAUSE YOU THINK IT WONT MATTER AND SO YOU NEVER GET BETTER AT SPELLING. 

MEDIA/BOOKFEATURING "THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD"

THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD• WRITTEN BY WATTY PIPER IN 1991

• THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD IS ABOUT A LITTLE ENGINE THAT NEEDED TO GET OVER A VERY BIG HILL BECAUSE THERE WERE LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS ON THE OTHER SIDE WHO NEEDED THE FOOD AND TOYS THAT SHE WAS CARRYING, BUT HER ENGINE BROKE DOWN!

THE RED TRAIN NEEDS HELP!•ALL THE LITTLE TOYS WAVE DOWN EACH TRAIN THAT PASSES

BY AND ASK IF HE OR SHE WOULD HELP PULL THE LITTLE RED TRAIN OVER THE HILL TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS WAITING FOR THEIR FOOD AND TOYS. 

•NOT A SINGLE TRAIN AGREES TO HELP THEY ALL CLAIM THEY ARE TOO TIRED OR TOO OLD TO DO IT.

•BUT THEN...

RESCUED AT LAST! • FINALLY A LITTLE BLUE ENGINE COMES

BY THAT SAYS SHE WILL TRY HER BEST TO HELP.

• SHE DOESN’T USUALLY PULL OTHER TRAINS VERY FAR THOUGH, LET ALONE UP BIG HILLS.

•  DESPITE HER LACK OF EXPERIENCE SHE BELIEVES THAT SHE COULD PULL THE OTHER TRAIN OVER THE HILL AND BEGINS TO REPEAT, I THINK I CAN, I THINK I CAN.

CONNECTION

SUCCESS! AS THE LITTLE  BLUE ENGINE TUGGED ALONG SHE KEPT REPEATING TO HERSELF I THINK I CAN I THINK I CAN. THE LITTLE BLUE ENGINE BELIEVED THAT SHE COULD PULL THE TOYS AND FOOD TO THE LITTLE BOYS AND GIRLS AND EVEN UP AND OVER THE BIG HILL AND SO SHE DID IT!  

THE CONNECTION TO PSYCHOLOGY•THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD BELIEVED THAT SHE COULD PULL THE OTHER TRAIN TO THE VILLAGE FOR THE BOYS AND GIRLS AND BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED IN HERSELF AND THAT SHE COULD DO IT SHE SUCCEDED! IN PSYCHOLOGY THIS IS CALLED THE SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY BECAUSE HER BELIEF CAUSED THE OUT COME OF THE SITUATION TO BE TRUE.

MY TAKE • ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT GET MUCH BACKGROUND ON THE LITTLE

BLUE ENGINE THAT BELIEVED IN HERSELF, WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE OF THE SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECY SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE BECAUSE SHE BELIEVED IN HERSELF WHICH MADE HER MAKE THE ATTEMPT AND NOT GIVE UP. I THINK EVERYONE CAN LEARN FROM THE LITTLE ENGINE. 

MY SOURCES

• PIPER, WATTY. "THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD". NEW YORK : PHIOMEL BOOKS: IN ASSOCIATION WITH GROSSET AND DUNLAP, 2005

• PSYCHOLOGY 101 NOTES TAKEN FROM NICHOLE WILSON.