If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.
W.I. Thomas and D.S. Thomas, The Child in America: Behavior Problems and Programs (New York: Knopf, 1928). This idea was developed by sociologist Robert K. Merton in regards to “the self-fulfilling prophecy,” see “The Thomas Theorem and the Matthew Effect”. Social Forces. 74 (2): 379–422.
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The Thomas Theorem
