Definition of Pygmalion-Galatea Effect

The tales of mythology are much more than just stories from the past. In this sense, many of the Greek myths have served as inspiration to explain all kinds of human realities. The Pygmalion-Galatea effect is a good example of this.

The fundamental idea of ​​the Pygmalion-Galatea effect

In the 1960s the psychologists Rosenthal and Jacobson made a experiment with a group of teachers and students. The teachers were told that their students had passed a series of tests and that these demonstrated their high abilities.

At the end of the course, the students obtained very good academic results. The funny thing about this experiment is the fact that the initial tests never took place.

The researchers extracted the following conclusion: the good results obtained were due to the fact that the teachers had high expectations of their students.

In the field of psychology This experiment shows that the expectations of one person can influence the performance of others favorably or unfavorably. Thus, if a father tells his son that he expects a lot from him, it is very likely that the son will react positively, since the words of his father serve to enhance his

self-esteem and his motivation personal. Obviously, for the Pygmalion-Galatea effect to work properly it is necessary that the expectations that are projected are based on real possibilities of success and not on assumptions.

A strategy that can be incorporated into the context of teaching

The conclusions of the Pygmalion-Galatea effect have been useful to activate all kinds of strategies in the field of education. Thus, psychologists, pedagogues and educators use this resource to motivate their students in their training process.

The mythological tale

In various stories from Greek mythology and in the work "The Metamorphoses" by the Roman poet Ovid, it is said that Pygmalion was a sad and lonely king who lived on the island of Cyprus. The king's only passion was sculpture and for this reason she decided to sculpt the marble statue of a perfect and ideal woman. When she finished her sculpture she named it Galatea.

While he was fully satisfied with his work, the king was frustrated that he could not love a marble woman. His impossible love caught the attention of the goddess Aphrodite, who, moved by the king's sincere sentiment, made Galatea become a true woman of flesh and blood.

In this way, King Pygmalion was able to marry his beloved Galatea. According to tradition mythological, from the union of both was born the island of Pafos.

Photos: Fotolia - makis7 / zinkevych

Themes in Pygmalion-Galatea Effect