A person's own expectation of their performance shapes that performance independently of anyone else's expectations.
The self-directed counterpart of Pygmalion, and the one an individual can act on. It is also why credible early wins matter more than encouragement.
In practice
- A trainee told the exam is hard prepares as though it is; the identical trainee told they are on track for a pass prepares to pass.
- A runner who believes they can hold the pace holds it fractionally longer than one who does not, and the belief was the only difference.