6. Self-image and behavior:
the Galatea effect
In the previous chapter we saw how much our expectations of others determine their behavior.
But it is not only other people’s expectations which inluence our behavior. The images and
expectations we have of ourselves also have a role to play. This can have a powerful effect,
even more powerful than the Pygmalion and Golem effects.
The images people form of themselves, and which determine their behavior, are termed the
‘Galatea effect’, named after the ivory statue made by Pygmalion and brought to life by Venus.
The effect refers to the fact that people who are convinced of their own abilities, for instance,
are more successful.The more a salesperson believes in his own sales abilities and the quality
of the product he is selling, the more successful he is in his sales. Here again the idea of the
self-fulilling prophecy applies. The belief becomes a reality. As Henry Ford, founder of the car
manufacturer Ford, once said, ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.’
The same applies, up to a point, to the image people have of their own ethics. People who
see themselves as bad, malicious and untrustworthy will behave that way. And people who see
themselves as honest, truthful and trustworthy are more likely to behave well. Someone who
sees himself as trustworthy, for example, will make more effort to fulill this self-image, thus
reinforcing his trustworthiness. And someone who sees himself as untrustworthy and attaches
little value to promises and commitments will be more likely to let things slip and give up.
Kathleen Vohs and Jonathan Schooler researched how people’s expectations of themselves
determine their own behavior. They examined whether a change in self-image led to different
behavior. They also researched whether people who saw themselves as ‘heteronomous’ (a
product of circumstances and lacking free will) or ‘autonomous’ (immune to circumstances
and possessing free will) were more susceptible to unethical behavior.
The researchers had the participants take a mathematics test on computers. They were told
that due to a software error the answers might appear on the screen. To prevent this, the
participants were asked to press the spacebar immediately for each new question. In reality
6. Self-image and behavior: the Galatea effect
