Self-fulfilling prophecy

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that helps bring itself about because the person who believes it changes their behavior accordingly. The sociologist Robert K. Merton formalized the concept in 1948. In clairvoyance, it can work both ways: an encouraging prediction can provide momentum, while a grim one can paralyze, or lead to a breakup or a failure. This is one of the reasons responsible clairvoyance avoids categorical and negative predictions.