Golem Effect: Concept And Characteristics
More than 20 centuries ago Pythagoras said: “Educate children and it will not be necessary to punish men”. Well, the unknown Golem effect causes quite the opposite.
To understand the Golem effect , also known as the negative Pygmalion effect, it is interesting to remember what the Pygmalion effect consists of from a psychological point of view.
Golem effect vs. Pygmalion effect
The Pygmalion effect explains the phenomenon whereby a person, thinking he can influence another, ends up having that influence. It is closely related to expectations and to another effect, that of self-fulfilling prophecy (we observe reality as we expect it to be, favoring it to be as we observe it).
Of course, this effect is paramount in the education and development of children. Professors, parents and tutors tend to encourage the little ones to encourage the use of their potential and achieve everything they are capable of, reflecting their positive expectations on them.
The Golem effect is the exact opposite of the Pygmalion effect. In this process, an external person conditions the child with his own negative expectations, leading him to lose his self-esteem and not feel capable of doing something.
Both the Golem effect and the Pygmalion effect greatly affect the child. If the child is enticed and achieves a goal, he will feel capable of going much further. Conversely, if he feels inferior and incapable, he will hardly achieve goals that will help him grow.
In what situations does the Golem effect occur?
It is curious to note that both the Golem effect and the Pygmalion effect always occur in the school setting. Unfortunately, it is also spreading in the social and work sectors.
In the educational field, it was Jacobson and Rosenthal who studied him the most. They devoted themselves to studying the phenomenon of self-fulfilling prophecy, observing how many teachers achieved an unconscious classification of pupils. In a totally irrational way, they thus influenced the pupils’ performance, favoring or not the achievement of objectives.
An example is that of the teacher who thinks that one pupil is less intelligent than another and, in all likelihood, assigns simpler tasks to those he deems less gifted. Doing so, unwittingly, affects the learning and knowledge level of some pupils.
Can this effect be stopped?
It is by no means easy to curb this effect. Let’s continue with the teacher’s example: he generates expectations about his students, in an automatic and uninformed way, and acts according to his expectations which, in the end, come true.
According to the data, children subjected to more exciting stimuli achieve better academic performance. This is how the phenomenon feeds itself, generating the Golem effect on some pupils and the Pygmalion effect on others.
Logically, a first step to reduce this phenomenon is to notice its presence. Professors, but also parents, guardians or family members must be aware of how dangerous this phenomenon can be.
The consequences of the Golem effect go far beyond the academic realm. Suffice it to say that the child’s performance affects their self-esteem.
Outside of school, this phenomenon and its opposite can also be found in the workplace. It is common for bosses to have expectations of their employees, to behave according to those expectations, and to take action to make those expectations come true.
Any of us may have been an unwitting victim of the Golem Effect. Being an irrational phenomenon and implanted in our consciousness, we hardly notice the consequences it causes.
In this sense, it is important to try techniques that allow us, as teachers, parents, leaders or tutors, to be more aware and have less preconceptions. Options such as mindfulness or meditation, which seek to enrich the consciousness, could prove to be useful tools.
