Thomas theorem

A principle stating that situations defined as real become real in their consequences because people act on their interpretations. It links shared beliefs to observable social outcomes.

Social construction of reality: The process by which people create and maintain shared understandings of the world through interaction. The theorem describes one way shared definitions acquire practical force.
W. I. Thomas: An American sociologist whose work examined social behavior, institutions, and the meanings people assign to situations. He formulated the principle with Dorothy Swaine Thomas.
Bank run: A rapid withdrawal of deposits by customers who fear a bank will fail. Fear of insolvency can help make a bank fail when withdrawals overwhelm its available funds.
Robert K. Merton: An American sociologist who developed influential theories of social structure, science, and unintended consequences. Merton later popularized the theorem and developed the related concept of self-fulfilling prophecy.
Self-fulfilling prophecy: A prediction that helps cause the outcome it predicts by shaping people’s actions. It captures the theorem’s clearest feedback loop: belief changes behavior, which produces confirming evidence.
Dorothy Swaine Thomas: An American sociologist and statistician who studied migration and co-authored The Child in America. She co-authored the 1928 statement of the theorem with W. I. Thomas.
Pygmalion effect: Improved performance that results when higher expectations lead others to provide more supportive treatment. Teacher expectations can shape student opportunities and performance in ways that fulfill those expectations.
Thomas theorem and self-fulfilling prophecy: A comparison between a general principle about interpreted situations and a specific feedback process that produces a predicted outcome. The theorem covers consequences of definitions broadly; self-fulfilling prophecy names one particular pattern.
Definition of the situation: An interpretation of what is happening that guides how people respond. The theorem begins when an interpretation makes a situation meaningful enough to guide conduct.
The Child in America: A 1928 book by W. I. Thomas and Dorothy Swaine Thomas on child development and social behavior. It contains the famous formulation that situations defined as real are real in their consequences.

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