Conversation starter: Pygmalion or Golem?

How we behave is often influenced by the expectations of others in our lives. There is significant research to suggest that if other people have higher expectations of us, we rise to this in our performance and we do better as a result. This has been referred to as the Pygmalion effect. You can read about it here.

The reverse also seems to be true. If other people have lower expectations of us, this can lead to us performing less well. this has been called the Golem effect. you can read about that here.

It is important to know about these effects, and what they say about how our behaviour is influenced by the expectations of others. Arguably, the Golem effect could at least in part explain the struggle of many people living with disability. Societies like ours typically have carried low expectations of what people living with disability are able to accomplish. This can then translate to people living with disability accomplishing less in their lives. "If people don't expect me to accomplish much, then it must mean that I don't have the capacity, so there may not be much poi nt in me trying". This type of self-fulfilling prophecy can be catastrophic.

What does tis mean for the frontline support worker? The way they conduct themselves in the person's presence will affect that person. If the worker brings a high expectation of what might be possible in the person's life, and what the person might be able to accomplish, then the Pygmalion research suggests this could have a very positive impact on the person's subsequent actions in their own life. and the reverse is true; if the frontline worker thinks the person cannot accomplish much, then the Golem effect could happen and the worker, through their own expectations, has contributed to a deterioration in the person's life chances.

So FPLs can start a conversation with frontline peers about Pygmalion and Golem, to discover their expectations of the people they serve. The goal of that conversation is to assist frontline staff see the critical importance of them carrying high expectations of the capacity and potential of the people they serve.

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