Background of the Study

Society influences every individual, including how they think, perceive,

and act. And, most often than not, people set expectations that drive someone's

ability to do things, which can also lead to better performance. The Pygmalion

Effect is a psychological principle wherein high expectations and beliefs from

others lead to improved performance in a given area. To better understand that

concept, the term Pygmalion Effect originated from a poem by the Roman poet

Ovid entitled "Metamorphoses" (The Pygmalion Effect, 2020). In it, Pygmalion

was a sculptor who eventually fell in love with one of his creations. Pygmalion

begged the gods to deliver him a wife similar to the sculpture he became

enamored with. As the story goes, the gods made his wish come true, and the

sculpture came to life. His expectations aided in the reanimation of the statue,

which is consistent with the Pygmalion effect — expectations can alter reality.

Higher expectations lead to higher performance — that is the main idea

of the Pygmalion Effect. It is the effects of interpersonal expectations, that is,

the finding that what one person expects of another can serve as a self-fulfilling

prophecy (Rosenthal, 2010). As a result, a person with higher expectations sets

specific goals for themselves and is more likely to work hard towards achieving

those goals. Although the Pygmalion effect is mostly unconscious, it

demonstrates how others' expectations can significantly impact one's

performance. According to Saxena (2016), expectation is a powerful belief that

affects the one who sets expectations and the one for whom the expectation is
set. Therefore, ensuring that expectations are positive to achieve the desired

outcome becomes crucial.

The Pygmalion Effect is common in educational settings. In fact, in a

well-known study, Professor Robert Rosenthal, who first identified the

Pygmalion Effect, instructed teachers to evaluate specific students as either

"highly intelligent" or "possessing significant intellectual potential." The

teachers were informed that their evaluations would be compared with the

actual IQ measurements of their students. The children's IQ scores were

assigned randomly before their test administration. Upon learning about the

academic performance of students, it was observed that those who were

categorized as 'bright' by their teacher achieved higher scores on assessments

compared to those who were classified as 'not so bright.'

However, the Pygmalion effect is applicable to more than just the

educational setting. Coaches can learn to mold training environments, like how

teachers create classroom environments. According to Sidhu (2021), from the

perspective of sports and team performance, the Pygmalion effect can occur

through the following steps in a coach-athlete relationship: The coach develops

an expectation for each athlete that foretells the types of behavior and

performances expected from each athlete. The coach's expectations influence

their behavior towards each athlete, whether overt or covert. These behaviors
are specific to each athlete based on the coach's perception of the athlete's

abilities and competence. The coach's behavior towards the athlete conveys the

coach's perception of their abilities and competence, influencing their self-

confidence, self-perception, motivation, and desire to improve. The athlete then

conforms to these expectations by behaving and performing as predicted by the

coach. This reinforces the original expectation of the coach, which perpetuates

the cycle. The Pygmalion Effect in sports starts with coaches, who modify their

behavior by treating all athletes as if they have high potential. Therefore,

coaches play a significant role in unleashing each athlete's peak performance.