What word means “to speak something into existence”?

Question

If someone says "the Yankees are going to lose", and everyone starts believing it, including the players, and it actually happens — what is the word for that?

Answer 1

Self-fulfilling prophecy. (I am not aware of a single-word equivalent in English.)

Answer 2

I remember my cousin, who is a psychologist, mentioned about the term "Pygmalion effect". Here is a definition from Wikipedia:

The Pygmalion effect, or Rosenthal effect, refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, often children or students and employees, the better they perform. The effect is named after Pygmalion, a Cypriot sculptor in a narrative by Ovid in Greek mythology, who fell in love with a female statue he had carved out of ivory.

The Pygmalion effect is a form of self-fulfilling prophecy, and, in this respect, people with poor expectations internalize their negative label, and those with positive labels succeed accordingly. Within sociology, the effect is often cited with regards to education and social class.

Answer 3

The Yankee's nascent loss...

Answer 4

Besides the already mentioned self-fulfilling prophecy, the closest things that come to my mind are:

• lack of confidence
• diminished self-esteem

which are rather the cause to make happen what you described.

Answer 5

Depending on exact context, you might get away with "conjure". Even "will" might do.