Explain Merton's concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
The self-fulfilling prophecy describes a process where a false definition of a situation, initially a mere conception, evokes new behavior which makes the originally false conception come true. It's not about some mystical force, but about how our beliefs and expectations can shape reality. For instance, if people believe a bank is failing, they will rush to withdraw their money, thereby causing the bank's actual failure. It highlights the dynamic interplay between belief and action in social life.
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