The Psychology of Expectations

Just merely using magic thinking and expecting something is not going to get us anything, setting us up for eventual disappointment. If we want something to happen, we have to take the necessary steps to facilitate the same.

Example: Simply wishing for a cup of coffee will not make it come to us. We have to get up from the bed and actually make it in the kitchen.

Expectations sound logical when things are in our own hands, but expecting others to behave in a certain way will not automatically make it so. And when our expectations are not lived up to by others, we feel shocked and resentful.

These resentments become premeditated, as we set them up ourselves, albeit unconsciously. Example: Ordering medium-rare steak at a restaurant, but ending up being served a well done one.

• Expecting that life will turn out the way we want it to be is a sure-fire way to experience disappointment, because life does not check our expectations before happening.
• If our unfulfilled expectations involve other people who have ‘failed’ to behave how we expected them to, we are making a critical mistake by getting angry about it.
• If we are not angry if the cup of coffee we expected from ourselves did not materialize, then why do we get angry if someone else did not make us one?

• Not speaking to others or having zero communication about one’s expectations is almost guaranteed to make it a failure.
• Open communication is essential to improve the chances of one’s expectations becoming a reality, but that is also not enough.
• Merely communicating something to the other person and expecting it to be done is an unrealistic expectation by itself, if it is not in the interest of the other person.

We cannot even understand ourselves, so it is futile to think that we can fully understand other people.

• Normally, we would not do something inconsistent with our values and goals, so we cannot demand others to fulfill our expectations if it is not consistent with their own interests.
• We also fail to realize how the other person may resent us for expecting something they cannot fulfill.
• A better option is to let go of expectations and find something positive, something you are grateful for.
• If things don’t turn out the way you wanted to, you will feel serenity, not resentment.