What is a belief that leads to its own fulfillment known as?

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy. This concept occurs when a person's expectations about another individual or situation lead them to act in a way that causes those expectations to come true. Essentially, if someone believes that a certain outcome will occur, their behaviors can inadvertently bring about that outcome, reinforcing their original belief.

For example, if a teacher believes that a particular student is unable to succeed academically, they may offer that student less encouragement and support, which can lead to poorer academic performance, thereby confirming the teacher’s initial belief. This illustrates how beliefs can shape behaviors and perceptions in ways that create the anticipated outcomes, making the concept of self-fulfilling prophecies particularly relevant in social psychology.

The other choices do not accurately describe this phenomenon. Social traps refer to situations where individuals or groups face conflicting interests that lead to negative outcomes for all parties involved. Conflict generally refers to a struggle or disagreement between individuals or groups, and compliance relates to responding favorably to a request or demand, which does not necessarily involve the cyclical re-enforcement characteristic of self-fulfilling prophecies.