Examples

In this clip, the interaction between the man and Stewie is the perfect example of the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ as Stewie’s actions are influenced by the man’s comment of having to sit next to a baby on the plane. Being offended by this comment, Stewie begins to act as a “stereotypical baby”, as a return for the man’s comments.

The ‘self-fulfilling’ prophecy’ in psychology, put simply, is when a person’s expectations or beliefs influences that person’s or another’s behaviors by how they act towards another/themselves (depending on the context), which then confirms our expectations, even if it is false.

The man’s comment in the Family Guy clip is what drove Stewie to act the way he acted. Had the man not had any expectations of Stewie’s behavior on the plane, Stewie would have watched the in-flight movie (as mentioned by him in the clip from the episode). By the man having predefined expectations of Stewie based on stereotypes, the man’s expectation influenced how he treated Stewie. In this instance, the man’s comment was the action, and Stewie’s response was influenced by the man’s actions towards him. As a result, the man has successfully exemplified the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ by having Stewie confirm his expectations through the man’s own actions and beliefs.