Self-fulfilling prophecy – how our perceptions can influence reality

Why will some people succeed while others fail? If you have ever participated in a team sport as a youngster you might recall that some players always got to play more than others. These players where often those with the best skills and therefore the coaches preferred them over other less skilled players. As a result, these players would become better and the others had to work harder and often failed to improve in order to catch a spot on the team. This effect could be caused by something called the self-fulfilling prophecy.