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People wrongly fear their bank is about to fail, rush to withdraw cash, and the bank does run out of money. What does this show?
AA self-fulfilling prophecy
BA degradation ceremony
CAn ascribed social status
DA hidden school curriculum
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. A self-fulfilling prophecy
1. The fear was false when it started, since the bank was sound.
2. Acting on the false idea changed the situation itself.
3. Banks rarely hold that much cash, so the withdrawals emptied it.
4. The prophecy came true because it was believed, which is Merton's self-fulfilling prophecy.
5. A degradation ceremony strips a newcomer of an old identity, which is unrelated here.
6. An ascribed status is one you do not choose, such as sex or age.
7. The hidden curriculum is the informal teaching schools do, again a different mechanism.
_Source: OpenStax Introduction to Sociology 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Culture", Ch 4 "Society and Social Interaction" and Ch 5 "Socialization", section 4.3 Social Constructions of Reality_
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