#rosenthal effect

Even Foucault and discourse might be relevant in a sense though thats a bit more far fetched (he usually talks of general knowledge paradigms so a high school is a bit small scale).. but idunno it might be possible to argue that Peter was trying to set up a counter-discourse with the doc

In the Greek myth, Pygmalion, a sculptor observes the purity and perfection in his ivory statue of a woman, which he names Galatea. The sculptor soon falls in love with the statue, spending much of his time with her, talking to and even caressing her, as though she were flesh and blood. Aphrodite sees this and takes pity on him and gives the statue life, so that the sculptor can love Galatea as a real woman.

This myth is the basis for a psycholigical thinking that I hold in high regard and employ as often as I can in my day-to-day life. The Pygmalion Effect is the idea that we subconsciously observe the way others expect us to be or act, and this essentially becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.

A simpler example would be if I had a friend or colleague who I believed had certain traits, my attitude towards them and the way I interact with them (in my speech, mannerisms etc) would change subconsciously to reflect that belief - and in turn, there’s a very high chance that eventually that person would begin to reflect those traits that I’d placed upon them, regardless of whether they possessed them to begin with.

Treat a stupid person as though they are stupid, and they'll never become anything but equally or more stupid. Treat a stupid person as though they are a genius, on the other hand...