Pygmalion Effect in action!

It is hard to disassociate  Pygmalion Effect from teachers – @school, @home or @work! Effective teachers, parents and mentors are the masters of this powerful expectation management principle.

Positive Pygmalion Effect makes you a brilliant star while the negative ensures a complete villain! They both create wonders almost from nothing!

As the master puts it –

“A backlog of challenge, freedom, respect, warmth, control and success develops positive self-images in students (employees) and encourages academic (professional) achievement. The absence of these factors makes for the person who is crippled psychologically.” ~ W.W. Purkey

To see the magic of Pygmalion Effect in action, it is important to build a life style around the characteristics described by  W.W. Purkey.

CHALLENGE: proposing high and achievable levels of accomplishment good enough to let the person (student/employee) discover their capacity for greater achievement – to ensure increase in Self-Esteem!

FREEDOM: allowing & accepting failure, mistakes so that they learn to take decisions on their own – without fear of rejection/humiliation! – to improve Self-Esteem!

RESPECT: authentic respect towards the individual to increase their self-respect and helping them learn to show respect to others. – improves Self-Esteem!

WARMTH: cordial relationship with the individual to ensure self-esteem.

CONTROL: control the feedback loop for sustainability of self-esteem

SUCCESS: style appropriate to facilitate & celebrate success v/s underscore & correct mistakes! Meaningful praise is more impactful than punitive criticism / correction. Reinforces Self-Esteem!

It appears that working on “Self-Esteem” can guarantee to bring the magical power of Pygmalion Effect into action!

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