High external locus of control

Internal vs External Locus of Control: 7 Examples & Theories

How much control do we really have over our lives?

Many psychological theories have attempted to answer this question. One such explanation is the locus of control.

Locus of control is a concept created by psychologist Julian Rotter (1954). Rotter was interested in social learning and why some behaviors stick while others languish.

Locus of control is an underlying structure of Rotter’s social learning theory, but as a standalone theory, it has had significant applications in education, health, and clinical psychology. It has driven research in motivation, learning, depression, and addiction.

In this article, we look at the research into locus of control and offer seven worksheets and two recommended books to provide a comprehensive overview of this topic.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Resilience Exercises for free. These engaging, science-based exercises will help you deal effectively with difficult circumstances and give you the tools to improve the resilience of your clients, students, or employees, no matter the situations they have to face.

This Article Contains:

What Is the Locus of Control in Psychology?
Internal vs External Locus of Control: 3 Examples
Popular Theories About the Concept
3 Fascinating Research Findings
7 Worksheets & Exercises for Psychologists
Our 2 Favorite Books on the Topic
A Take-Home Message
References

What Is the Locus of Control in Psychology?

The concept behind locus of control is fairly simple. Our lives are full of actions and outcomes. Each of us will ascribe a certain locus of control over these outcomes. The theory states that we will place the location, or locus, either externally or internally.

If we place the locus of control externally, we are likely to blame the outcome on fate, luck, or happenstance. If we place the locus of control internally, we are likely to believe our own actions determine the outcome.

Rotter (1966) stated that where we place that locus will either reinforce or punish our actions. An internal locus of control will lead to a reinforcement of that behavior, and the behavior will continue. An external locus of control will cause the behavior to extinguish – why would we continue to try if the outcome is outside of our control?

However, Rotter (1975) was careful to state that we should conceptualize this as a continuum between external and internal, rather than an either/or categorization. In general, healthy adults rarely believe that everything is either entirely out of our control or entirely within it.

In fact, individuals who employ a blend of both internal and external loci in their reasoning report higher levels of happiness (April, Dharani, & Peters, 2012).

Internal vs External Locus of Control: 3 Examples

Here are three examples of how our locus of control may influence the way we view an outcome and the behaviors that follow.

We will call these two people Isaac the Internalizer and Everett the Externalizer.

Work
Isaac and Everett are both up for a promotion.

Isaac, with his internal locus of control, believes that his hard work will get him the promotion. He also believes that if he doesn’t get it, he just needs to work harder.

Everett, on the other hand, feels that the promotion is largely outside of his control and that external forces, whether they are just chance or the boss’s whims, will determine whether he will get the promotion. Although he may not work as hard to obtain the promotion, if he doesn’t get it, Everett may be easier on himself than Isaac.

School
There is a big test coming up, and Isaac and Everett are at the library.

Isaac believes his score will directly reflect the amount of studying that he did, and since he wants a good grade, he applies himself and studies hard.

Everett has an external locus of control and believes that the grade may well reflect the teacher’s bias. He believes that studying too hard is a waste of time.

Health
Isaac’s doctor tells him he has the potential to develop Type II diabetes.

Isaac has heard that it’s possible to control this outcome with diet, so he decides to cut out all sugar and try to eat more vegetables.

Everett gets the same diagnosis, but he believes that it’s all genetic. He comes from a family with a history of diabetes and feels that the outcome is inevitable. He doesn’t try to change his diet because he doesn’t think it will make any difference.

Popular Theories About the Concept

Following is a discussion of how locus of control relates to other psychological theories. Two theories that are related but differ in subtle ways include self-efficacy and attribution style.

Another important theory is personality and how it affects our locus of control. And finally, in order to stay relevant, the theory of locus of control must take into consideration cultural factors, such as how oppression and discrimination may affect our perception of control.

Self-efficacy theory

Self-efficacy, a concept proposed by Albert Bandura (2010), is the measure of how capable an individual feels about achieving their goals.

Bandura, a social psychologist, showed that no matter how talented a person may be, if they do not believe they are capable, this belief will have a strong effect on their ability to succeed. Individuals with high self-efficacy will have higher levels of persistence and give up less easily than those with low levels of self-efficacy (Schunk, 1990).

Self-efficacy and locus of control are related, but they are not the same. An individual with an internal locus of control may feel their health outcomes are caused by their behavior, but they may not feel capable of achieving their goal.

For example, a person may know that they can increase muscle mass by doing certain exercises but may feel that they won’t succeed because they don’t have the knowledge to create an exercise plan. Also, locus of control includes an appraisal of the surrounding environment, whereas self-efficacy is ultimately a self-reflective construct.

Attributional styles & locus of control

Locus of control is a theory of learning. Importantly, this means that the behavior in question, whether it’s sticking with an exercise plan or studying for a test, will either be reinforced or halted based on the perceived locus of control.

For example, if a person finds a $20 bill on the street, it is unlikely that they will continue to return to that street again and again looking for more money; instead, they perceive that the locus of control behind finding the money was an external event, namely chance.

Attributional style is also a theory of behavior that includes locus of control as one of three potential causes (Weiner, 1986). Attribution theory includes other factors – whether the cause is global or specific, stable or unstable – in addition to whether the individual perceives that they have control over it.

A global attribution means that the person believes the cause of the event is consistent across all contexts. A specific attribution is just the opposite: it only happens in a particular context. Whether an outcome is stable or unstable describes if it is consistent across time or only attributable to a single point in time.

Weiner (1986) gives the examples that ability is stable and internal, whereas mood is unstable and internal. Task difficulty may be seen as stable and external, while luck is seen as unstable and external. The perceived amount of control over each of these may vary from person to person.

Similar to locus of control, our attribution style will affect our behavior. Imagine, for example, that your brother is visiting, and he blows up at you over something small, yelling and storming out.

If you attribute his behavior to internal, stable, and global causes, you perceive that your brother’s personality causes him to act this way in all contexts and all the time. If you attribute his behavior to internal but unstable and specific causes, you may think that he is in a foul mood, that this is out of character, and something must have set him off.

Given these two appraisals of the same situation, we will behave differently. We are less likely to be forgiving if we feel the person has control over their behavior. We may be more likely to let it go if we think it’s a onetime event rather than something that happens no matter the situation.

Can you change your perception in four minutes? – Pari Majd

Locus of control & personality theories

Much of the research into locus of control and how it relates to personality has been in the realm of work satisfaction and health outcomes (Strauser, Ketz, & Keim, 2002; Spector & O’Connell, 1994).

The Big Five personality traits (emotional stability, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) have each been shown to have varying levels of impact on outcomes in these realms. These traits have been examined for their relationship with locus of control and how the interaction may affect work-life and health (Ng, Sorensen, & Eby, 2006; Boysan & Kiral, 2017; Mutlu, Balbag, & Cemrek, 2010).

In general, emotional stability (formerly known as neuroticism) and conscientiousness have strong positive relationships with an internal locus of control. Believing that their behavior contributes directly to the outcome of a situation will naturally lead to hard work if the individual also has the desire.

Conversely, those with an external locus of control have been shown to have higher levels of stress and even depression (Benassi, Sweeney, & Dufour, 1988). It stands to reason that if someone feels they are at the mercy of outside forces and their life is not in their hands, this could lead to anxiety and learned helplessness.

The idea of learned helplessness and its relationship to an external locus of control was introduced by Martin Seligman (1975).

He advanced the hypothesis that individuals with depression have a state of mind that reflects a type of helplessness, meaning that they don’t believe that their actions will have any positive effect on the outcomes of their lives. This type of thinking may reflect an external locus of control, because they have little faith in themselves (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978).

Cultural humility and locus of control

A factor that has not been addressed much in literature is how an individual’s locus of control may be shaped by systems of injustice, like institutionalized racism and gender discrimination.

An external locus of control is often described as attributing outcomes to such things as luck, fate, or chance. But what if an individual doesn’t get a promotion because their boss is discriminating against them? What if a couple cannot get a loan to buy a house because of their sexual orientation or race?

For oppressed or marginalized groups, there is an objective threat to their ability to control the outcomes of their lives. Their perceived differences in loci of control may reflect these systems of oppression, rather than a lack of self-determination (Sue, 1978).

Research into locus of control and its effects on an individual’s outcome has encouraged programs that help people move toward a greater feeling of internal control (Twenge, Zhang, & Im, 2004).

It’s generally believed that those with higher levels of internal locus of control also tend to have better outcomes (Rotter, 1966; Lefcourt, 1982; Twenge et al. 2004). But before we apply blanket programs that treat all individuals the same, it is important to recognize that these programs often overlook systemic issues that may truly affect an individual’s level of control (Brown, Rosnick, & Segrist, 2017).

3 Fascinating Research Findings

Since locus of control has such a widespread application, we look at three research findings.

Health and motivation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, experts encouraged social distancing as a way to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Itani and Hollebeek (2021) found that an internal locus of control positively correlated with a willingness to social distance, showing that if individuals believed that their own behavior had a positive outcome on their health, they were more willing to comply with recommendations.

Clinical psychology

Globally, 5.1% of women and 3.6% of men experience depression, and 4.6% of women and 2.6% of men experience anxiety disorders (World Health Organization, 2017).

Churchill, Munyanyi, Prakash, and Smyth (2020) examined longitudinal data of these gender disparities in mental health and found an intriguing outcome. The researchers examined the scores of over 20,000 Australians on measures of mental health and locus of control.

They showed a significant gender gap in mental health, consistent with the World Health Organization findings. They also showed that women were more likely to have an external locus of control than men. Finally, through regression analysis, they could demonstrate that a unit increase toward internal locus of control would have a more significant effect on this gender gap than any other variable, including employment and marriage status.

Environment

Locus of control has been shown to be a key factor in pro-environmental behavior (Peyton & Miller, 1980). Chiang, Fang, Kaplan, and Ng (2019) took this finding a step further and examined the relationship between environmental actions, locus of control, and emotional stability.

They found that the personality factor of emotional stability positively influenced pro-environmental behavior. They also showed through structural equation modeling that emotional stability may be a mediator between an internal locus of control and pro-environmental behavior.

High levels of patience and calm (positive levels of emotional stability) may lead to a greater level of internal locus of control and feelings of hopefulness toward helping the planet.

7 Worksheets & Exercises for Psychologists

To help clients understand how they perceive control, we have created several worksheets.

Worksheets for children

I Can/Can’t Control

This worksheet is a checklist that helps children learn to identify things they can control and things they can’t.

Out of Control or In Control

In this worksheet, children are presented with a list of reactions they might have, such as hitting, pacing, and talking with friends. This exercise requires them to sort these reactions into three columns: Out of Control, In Control, or Both.

Self-Control Spotting Activity

This worksheet gives the child eight different activities to identify and sort as either self-control or not self-control.

For teenagers

What Makes Me Angry

This worksheet helps guide teenagers to see that it is not the person or event that makes them angry, but their thoughts instead.

Control in relationships

Shifting Codependency Patterns

This worksheet for relationships outlines examples of denial, low self-esteem, compliance, avoidance, and control. For each of these patterns, the worksheet provides examples of a codependent reaction and a secure reaction.

Control in life

Control–Influence–Accept Model

In this exercise, clients are asked to present a challenging situation and then assess what can be controlled or influenced, and what needs to be accepted.

Our 2 Favorite Books on the Topic

Below is a recommendation for more reading on the topic of Locus of Control.

1.

Choice or Chance: Understanding Your Locus of Control and Why It Matters – Stephen Nowicki

Clinical psychologist Dr. Nowicki has spent his career investigating and writing about locus of control.

This self-help book guides readers to identify their own locus of control and how it may be influencing their lives. This is a good choice for those who would like to dive into the research and find out how it applies to their own lives.

Find the book on Amazon.

2.

Teach Internal Locus Of Control: A Positive Psychology App – Russ Hill

Because an internal locus of control has been strongly associated with greater wellbeing and more success in work and school, it is no surprise that people want to know if there is a way to become more of an internalizer.

This book teaches a six-step behavioral strategy that will help teach learners how to become more “internal” and feel that they have more control over their lives.

Find the book on Amazon.

A Take-Home Message

Locus of control began as an explanation for why some behaviors flourish and grow, while others never take seed.

This theory has had a far-reaching impact in the fields of developmental psychology, health psychology, clinical psychology, and more. At present, it is now seen as an important building block of self-evaluation, a multi-dimensional construct under which self-efficacy, self-esteem, and emotional stability also lie.

When we attribute an outcome in life to external forces beyond our control, we may find ourselves feeling helpless to enact change.

But the truth of our level of control often resides only in our perception of it. Between this real and perceived level of control is a choice to believe in ourselves and our ability to change our fate.

If we believe in our power to control our life, we will be more likely to take chances and feel more confident in our own autonomy. This belief may be taught at an early age, but it can also be shaped throughout life. Through subtle changes of mindset, we can begin to feel more in control of our future.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Resilience Exercises for free.

Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E., & Teasdale, J. D. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87(1), 49–74.
April, K. A., Dharani, B., & Peters, K. (2012). Impact of locus of control expectancy on level of well-being. Review of European Studies, 4, 124–137.
Bandura, A. (2010). Self-efficacy. In I. B. Weiner & W. B. Craighead (Eds.), The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Benassi, V. A., Sweeney, P. D., & Dufour, C. L. (1988). Is there a relation between locus of control orientation and depression? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97(3), 357–367.
Boysan, M., & Kiral, E. (2017). Associations between procrastination, personality, perfectionism, self-esteem and locus of control. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 45(3), 284–296.
Brown, D. L., Rosnick, C. B., & Segrist, D. J. (2017). Internalized racial oppression and higher education values: The mediational role of academic locus of control among college African American men and women. Journal of Black Psychology, 43(4), 358–380.
Chiang, Y. T., Fang, W. T., Kaplan, U., & Ng, E. (2019). Locus of control: The mediation effect between emotional stability and pro-environmental behavior. Sustainability, 11(3), 820.
Churchill, S. A., Munyanyi, M. E., Prakash, K., & Smyth, R. (2020). Locus of control and the gender gap in mental health. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 178, 740–758.
Hill, R. (2011). Teach internal locus of control: A positive psychology app. Will to Power Press.
Itani, O. S., & Hollebeek, L. D. (2021). Consumers’ health-locus-of-control and social distancing in pandemic-based e-tailing services. Journal of Services Marketing.
Lefcourt, H. M. (1982). Locus of control: Current trends in theory and research (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Mutlu, T., Balbag, Z., & Cemrek, F. (2010). The role of self-esteem, locus of control and big five personality traits in predicting hopelessness. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 1788–1792.
Ng, T. W., Sorensen, K. L., & Eby, L. T. (2006). Locus of control at work: a meta‐analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(8), 1057–1087.
Nowicki, S. (2016). Choice or chance: Understanding your locus of control and why it matters. Prometheus.
Peyton, R. B., & Miller, B. A. (1980). Developing an internal locus of control as a prerequisite to environmental action taking. In A. Sacks (Ed.), Current issues VI: The yearbook of environmental education and environmental studies (pp. 173–192). ERIC/SMEAC.
Rotter, J. B. (1954). Social learning and clinical psychology. Prentice Hall.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80, 1–28.
Rotter, J. B. (1975). Some problems and misconceptions related to the construct of internal versus external control of reinforcement. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43(1), 56–67.
Schunk, D. H. (1990). Goal setting and self-efficacy during self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 25(1), 71-86.
Seligman, M. E. P. (1975). Helplessness: on depression, development, and death. W. H. Freeman.
Spector, P. E., & O’Connell, B. J. (1994). The contribution of personality traits, negative affectivity, locus of control and Type A to the subsequent reports of job stressors and job strains. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 67(1), 1–12.
Strauser, D. R., Ketz, K., & Keim, J. (2002). The relationship between self-efficacy, locus of control and work personality. Journal of Rehabilitation, 68(1), 20–26.
Sue, D. W. (1978). Eliminating cultural oppression in counseling: Toward a general theory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 25(5), 419–428.
Twenge, J. M., Zhang, L., & Im, C. (2004). It’s beyond my control: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of increasing externality in locus of control, 1960-2002. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8(3), 308–319.
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World Health Organization. (2017). Depression and other common mental disorders: Global health estimates. Author.

Understanding Locus of Control and What Motivates You

Jump to section

What is the locus of control, and why is it important?

What are the two types of locus of control?

What are examples of locus of control?

Do you have a more internal or external locus of control?

What do you feel when you’re suddenly faced with a tough challenge or obstacle? What thoughts go through your mind?

Do your thoughts go to how might overcome this challenge to achieve what you want? Or, do you wonder why this is happening to you or feel under attack? Do you feel paralyzed? Or, energized? Choiceless or determined?

Not everyone holds the same beliefs about what influences their actions and the outcomes of those actions. In psychology this concept is called locus of control.

Let’s explore what locus of control means, what types of locus of control influence how people see the world, and how you can identify what types of locus of control motivate your own actions.

What is the locus of control, and why is it important?

Locus of control refers to a person's beliefs about how much control they have over what happens to them in their life and how much influence they have over what happens in the world around them.

The concept of Locus of Control of Reinforcement was developed by Julian B. Rotter. He was an American psychologist who specialized in social learning theory. He first published a paper outlining the locus of control in 1966.

Since then, several other researchers have done work on the locus of control. For example, Kenneth Wallston explored the locus of control from a health perspective.

The idea of locus of control is simple. It states that behavior is guided by different types of reinforcements. Those reinforcements can be rewards or punishments.

Depending on what reinforcements someone lives through, people learn to believe different things about what causes their actions.

Those beliefs have a huge impact on someone’s behavior. Someone can believe that they don’t have control over their actions and what happens to them. Others can believe that they have full agency over their actions and outcomes.

It’s easy to imagine how those two fundamentally different beliefs will change how someone views the world, their place in society, and how they act. These two beliefs are the two types of locus of control: internal and external.

What are the two types of locus of control?

How do the internal and external locus of control work? Let’s break down what defines these two types of locus of control.

Internal locus of control

Internal locus of control means that control comes from within. You have personal control over your own behavior.

When you have an internal locus of control, you believe you have personal agency over your own life and actions. Because of this, these people tend to have more self-efficacy.

If you succeed, you believe it’s because you did the right thing and put in the right amount of effort. If you experience failure, you’ll blame no one but yourself. You’ll believe that you could have changed the outcome if you’d worked harder or made different decisions.

Someone who has a lot of resilience and who also has an internal locus of control is likely to be driven toward success. Studies have shown that, in general, people who have this type of locus of control tend to be better off than those who don’t.

This is likely because people with an internal locus of control take responsibility and accountability for their actions. They have greater expectations for themselves because they don’t believe that luck will help them succeed. As a result, they tend to take control of their work, their personal goals, and anything else that’s important to them.

But what do studies say about the internal locus of control when it comes to gender differences? On this topic, not all researchers came to the same conclusion. Some studies show that the internal locus of control is more common in men than women. But other studies say the opposite.

This means that having an internal drive related to your locus of control likely has nothing to do with your gender. It is more likely that it’s influenced by how a person experienced rewards and punishments as they grew up.

External locus of control

External locus of control means that control stems from external forces. When you have an external locus of control, you believe that events outside of your control drive your actions and the outcomes you get.

If you win a game, you’ll believe that you won because you got lucky. Or, you’ll believe that you won because the other players just weren’t good enough. But if you lose, you’ll believe you ran out of luck. Or, you’ll believe that the other players were just too talented for you to have any chance of winning.

According to several studies, having an external locus of control as a main driving force correlates with several risks for criminal or problematic behavior. Studies also suggest that those with an external locus of control are less open to engaging in treatment than those with an internal locus of control.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that only people with external control of reinforcement can commit offensive behavior.

What it suggests is that people who believe they are at the whim of external forces don't believe they have the power to control themselves. As a result, they don't try or don't take effective action to change their own behaviors.

A comparison of internal and external locus of control

Let’s compare the internal and external locus of control side by side and how they influence decision-making:

Internal Locus of Control	External Locus of Control
Believe what they’ve achieved is due to their hard work	Credits luck or timing when they manage to achieve something
Take responsibility for their actions	Put the responsibility on forces outside of their control
Don’t believe in “fate”	Feel that they can’t change a situation because that’s how it’s meant to be
Aren’t usually as influenced by other people’s opinions	Feel hopeless when confronted with a difficult situation
Tend to be driven and motivated to achieve something they want	Believe they’ll achieve what they want if the timing is right or if it’s meant to be

The role of locus of control in everyday life

Let’s explore what a locus of control looks like in work and everyday life.

At first glance, it may seem like an internal locus of control is always more desirable to have. However, an internal locus of control isn’t automatically good. Likewise, an external locus of control isn’t automatically bad.

It all depends on the context.

How a type of locus of control manifests itself will vastly depend on someone’s other personality traits.

For example, someone with a strong internal locus of control may be very direct and to the point. While this can make for clear communication in the workplace, it can also lead to a lack of tact. It can be easy to steamroll over others who are less direct.

Someone with a high internal locus of control may also find it difficult to delegate. Once they delegate, things are no longer under their control. Putting this much importance on control can also lead to burnout. Because they believe everything they want to achieve relies on them, the slope toward overworking can be slippery. This can take a toll on mental health and self-esteem.

On the other hand, there can be several positive aspects to having an external locus of control. For instance, these people may be more sensitive to their surroundings and more perceptive of others on the team, potentially making them better team players.

They’re also able to let go of things more easily. They can be happier because of that. Especially when it comes to letting go of external factors that really are beyond their control.

However, that "let go" attitude can be both good and bad. While it may lead to peace for some people, it can lead to apathy in others.

Both an internal and external locus of control can lead to social loafing, but for different reasons. Someone with an internal locus of control may begin to loaf if they don’t care enough about the group’s goal. Someone with an external locus of control may loaf because they believe it will work out anyway and that their contribution doesn’t matter to the outcome.

Even though both types have their individual differences, they can lead to similar outcomes in some cases. The important takeaway is that the types of locus of control aren’t all internal or all external, and not all good or bad.

What are examples of locus of control?

Let’s take a look at what different situations can look like depending on your locus of control.

First, imagine you’re changing careers. Do you have the self-determination to start looking for jobs and maximizing your resume? Or, do you wait for fate to line something up for you?

The former is an example of how an internal locus of control could manifest itself. Instead, the latter represents what someone with an external locus of control might do.

What if, one day, your neighbor got a new luxury car? Do you believe they got lucky and probably got handed all the right opportunities to afford this car? Or do you instead believe they’ve worked hard to finally be able to make that purchase? In this case, the former is an example of an external locus of control.

Finally, let’s imagine you got the promotion you were hoping for. Do you believe you got the promotion because of your hard work? Or do you believe it was luck, timing, or fate that got you there? Again, this latter example showcases an external locus of control.

Do you have a more internal or external locus of control?

Not sure what type of locus of control you have? There are some predictors to help you figure it out. Find out what locus of control drives your motivation by checking out these characteristics.

Characteristics of an internal locus of control

Here are some examples of what you may believe if you have an internal locus of control:

By working hard and practicing self-control, it’s possible to achieve anything I set out to do. I create my own opportunities. Waiting for luck is futile.
No one has a predestined fate. Even if this were the case, it’s always possible to change this fate by making the right choices. In truth, we all make our own destinies. In fact, we can start over in life at any point we choose.
People usually get what they deserve at the end of the day. Our choices and actions determine our happiness. If you work hard and treat others with kindness and respect, you will be more likely to succeed. If you don’t put in the effort and don’t respect people, you’re unlikely to succeed and be happy.
With dedication and determination, you can succeed and be great at problem-solving. It has nothing to do with luck or chance. Everything happens because someone acted in a specific way.
The world is the way it is because people are the way they are. If we want to change the world, we need to change our behavior. It’s entirely up to us. We’re in control.
It’s important to set goals and create a personal vision statement so that my short-term actions can influence my long-term outcomes.

Characteristics of an external locus of control

Here are some examples of what you may believe if you have an external locus of control:

Life events are all about luck and chance. Some people get lucky, and others don’t. It’s completely random and up to fate.
People don’t have a lot of control over what happens in the world. We can all strive to achieve something, but in the end, things will work out the way they were intended to.
I have little to no control over my own life. Outside forces are exercising control instead.
Long-term goal setting isn’t worth it since events outside of my control can disrupt them. It’s better to go with the flow and see what happens.
What happens to people isn’t related to what they really deserve. Good people who work hard don’t always succeed. Greedy people sometimes get lucky and get it all. I have learned helplessness in the face of these situations.

What if you identify with both types of locus of control?

While some people may strictly identify with a single type of locus of control, most people may identify with a little bit of both. It’s possible to mostly have an internal locus of control while still believing that some things are up to chance.

The opposite is true as well. Someone with an external locus of control may believe that they have some agency in their lives — even if minimal.

Understand your own locus of control

When you understand what motivates your actions, it’s easier to create a plan of action to get where you want to go. In addition, research shows that a person's locus of control can affect their experience of stress and overall happiness. And, coaching can actually help shift your locus and improve your sense of agency.

No matter which type of locus of control drives your motivation, you can accelerate your personal growth with BetterUp. Learn more to see how you can improve your well-being and performance.

Locus of Control - Human Psychology

We know who we are, but we don't know who we can be.

William Shakespeare

Locus of control is a theoretical concept in psychology that characterizes the property of a person to attribute their successes or failures either only to internal or only to external factors. If a person is inclined to attribute the results of activity exclusively to external factors, this is an external locus of control. And the tendency of a person to attribute the results of activity only to internal factors is, accordingly, an internal locus of control. A person who attributes the result of activity to external factors is an external type [a person with a low level of subjective control (SSC)], and the person who attributes the result of an activity to internal factors is an internal type [a person with a high level of subjective control (SSC)]. ]. The concept of locus of control was introduced in 1954 American social psychologist Julian Rotter. In this article, we will consider this concept from the most interesting side for us.

So, to begin with, let's find out what are internal and what are external factors to which a person can attribute the results of his activities. Internal factors include: the positive and negative qualities of a person, his efforts, the presence or absence of the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as experience, and the like. And external factors are a combination of circumstances, the behavior of other people, the presence or absence of certain resources and, in general, various manifestations of the external environment. Naturally, both external and internal factors influence our successes and failures to varying degrees. Another thing is what each individual person prefers to see as the reason for one or another of his success or failure. After all, if you try, you can always explain and justify any of your failures to a large extent or even exclusively by external factors, as an external personality type does, while completely ignoring your own mistakes, shortcomings, weaknesses, lack of the necessary competence to achieve the desired result. in some business and so on. And at the same time, any successful combination of circumstances can, if you try, be attributed to your own efforts, your skills, diligence and other internal factors. You understand that such an approach to assessing the patterns of one’s successes and failures significantly distorts the picture of reality that a person has in his head, thereby preventing him from drawing the right conclusions from his actions and decisions and, if necessary, making the necessary changes to them. We can deceive other people, justifying our failures solely by external factors, or attributing our successes solely to our efforts and personal qualities, but we should not deceive ourselves in this matter, otherwise in the future we will not be able to repeat our success and avoid failures. This is the most important point for us in this matter.

Locus of control is also called “locus of control of volitional effort”. This means that a person can place the blame on external or internal factors, depending on whether he has external or internal control localization. Suppose you fail at something, who do you blame for it? Now, if you have external localization of control, you will place the blame for your failure on external factors, and if internal, then accordingly, on internal ones, that is, place the blame on yourself. Now pay attention to how you usually act when you fail or fail at something - who do you blame for this? This will help you understand what locus of control you have. I repeat that those people who are inclined to explain the consequences of their actions mainly by the influence of external circumstances, that is, they attribute responsibility for their activities exclusively to external conditions, are called externals. And people who only consider themselves responsible for the results of their activities are called internals. You do not be afraid of these terms, although they are unusual for hearing, but in general they convey the meaning of the difference between different people. As you can see, we are talking about two types of people, those who take responsibility for everything that happens to them, and those who shift it to others. Although not everything is so strict in life, and in different situations, both those and other people, both externals and internals, can explain their successes and failures in different ways, that is, they do not always strictly and completely correspond to their personality type.

For us, friends, another question is more important - what kind of internal or external locus of control do we need in everyday life? We must somehow use our strong-willed efforts for our own good, right? It is one thing to understand who you are, according to the above definitions, and quite another to make yourself the way we, you need to be. You know, I don't think there is a definitive answer to this question. It is impossible to say with absolute certainty that one always has to be only external or internal, that one is better than the other. Of course, any sane person can say that blaming your failures solely or even predominantly on external factors does not make much sense. More often than not, this approach to explaining one's failures is an unnecessary excuse. In general, such a view of life can be called irresponsible. It is much more useful to always adequately evaluate your own actions, your own decisions, your own strengths and weaknesses, and work on yourself to change what you want to change, rather than trying, say, to change circumstances, other people, or even the laws of nature. Sounds reasonable, of course. But, after all, we are still studying human psychology, which means we must understand that a person, with all his virtues, to a greater extent and in most cases, is an irrational being, not a rational one. Therefore, it is extremely important for him to be able to stabilize his internal state in such situations that greatly undermine most of us and beat our self-confidence. Therefore, sometimes it is more useful to justify your failures and mistakes with external factors, instead of blaming only yourself for them and thus eating yourself from the inside. In other words, some of us, perhaps all of us, find it useful in some situations to exhibit an external locus of control.

We must also understand that all people are different, and not many of us can perceive certain events in our lives, if not exclusively, then at least predominantly from a rational position. And the point is not the complexity of these events, not that they are difficult to understand and adequately assess, the point is the character of people - for some it is strong, for others it is weak. Therefore, some people are ready to perceive their shortcomings and analyze their mistakes, while others are not. There are also very emotional people for whom the emotional mood is extremely important - it must be positive so that they can not only do something successfully, but generally have a desire to do something. It is not very pleasant for such people to realize that they may be wrong in something, they may be mistaken in something, not know something, not be able to, and so on. Therefore, it does not always make sense to point out their own mistakes and shortcomings to them, in the hope that they will take care of them and correct them. But to support their opinion that external circumstances prevented them from achieving success in something or caused their failure may turn out to be a very right decision, since it is to a person in solidarity with them that they will want to listen and follow his advice to correct the situation. And then there are people who are morally very weak, and they cannot see only their fault in all their failures, such an approach to life will simply break them. It will be especially harmful to their already low self-esteem, which, if they are critical of themselves, will sink even lower, which in turn will make them even less adapted to all sorts of difficulties and to life in general. Therefore, in order to stabilize their internal state, such people adhere to an external locus of control, that is, they shift the responsibility for their failures mainly to external circumstances and other people, thereby ridding themselves of the emotional burden that is unnecessary for them. At the same time, it is worth noting that some of our failures can indeed be explained solely by external factors, not justified, but precisely explained, for the sake of an objective assessment of the situation. But this does not mean that we ourselves cannot do anything in this or that situation in order to influence it and correct something in it, however, we also need to be able to correctly understand the limits of our capabilities, so as not to blame ourselves later for which is not your fault.

As for success, it is, of course, more pleasant to ascribe it to one’s personal qualities, rather than to a lucky coincidence, luck or merit of other people, and not only internals, but also externals like to do this, since each person wants to think well of himself and wants to see themselves in the best light, this is important for our self-esteem. I do not often meet people in my life who would say that their successes are more related to simple luck, and not to their efforts, skills, knowledge, efforts, and so on. Therefore, the external type of personality, although it implies that a person attributes his successes and failures to external factors, nevertheless, in life such people associate their success to a greater extent with themselves, according to my observations, at least, rather than with the actions of other people, luck, luck , random and so on. But the internal type of personality not only connects the events happening to him with his personal qualities - his competence, purposefulness, attitude, level of abilities, and so on, but also specifically seeks such a connection. Here we are already talking about the conscious taking of responsibility by a person for his life and for everything that happens in it. And he does this not only because he has a strong character, a mature mind and a great will, but also because, and sometimes only because it is a perspective look at himself and his life. People with an internal locus of control are much more confident. They are consistent and very persistent in achieving their goals, and are also quite balanced, relatively independent and very friendly. These people understand that it makes no sense to make yourself a victim of circumstances or hope for luck - they, as they say, are, because they want to be, the blacksmiths of their own happiness. So as you can see, the difference between external and internal locus of control is significant.

Thus, from my point of view, responsibility for everything that happens in a person's life, ultimately, he should take on himself, even in situations where he can influence little at all. Only in this case, his brain will work for the future, for the result. If in order to stabilize his internal state, to relieve his soul, a person needs to shift the responsibility for his failures to other people and, in general, to external factors - so be it. This is allowed. This is better than completely giving up, condemning and suppressing yourself. But at the same time, you need to slowly turn your attention to yourself and deal with your strengths and weaknesses in order, so to speak, to tighten up the necessary gadgets in yourself and in the future try to act more efficiently, more competently, more efficiently. Then a person will make fewer mistakes in his life and will be less likely to fail. And in your successes, you also don’t need to see only luck and a favorable set of circumstances, no matter how beautiful it looks. Lucky, as you know, the strongest and smartest, so rely on yourself, not on luck. Therefore, for me, such a concept as a locus of control is, first of all, responsibility and maturity of the mind. These qualities either exist and they are developed in a person, and then he is more internal, that is, he has an internal locus of control, and therefore is the creator of his life, or they are not developed in him and he is more external, that is, has an external locus of control, and then he has something to work on, something to strive for.

Therefore, it makes sense to spend your time and energy on analyzing and correctly evaluating all your actions, decisions, deeds, knowledge and skills, your personal qualities, your capabilities and achievements. This will allow you to understand yourself, understand yourself and find ways to make yourself more fit for life. External factors also need to be studied in order to understand what patterns there are in life and how you can adapt to them, how you can use them. Therefore, both external and internal locus of control must be in harmony with each other. In other words, the degree of our responsibility should be distributed in proportion to our capabilities. And if we objectively have fewer opportunities to influence external factors, then it makes no sense to shift responsibility to them. It is much more important and more useful to be responsible for internal factors and look at life through the prism of personal responsibility for everything that happens to us in this world.

What is a locus of control and why the stars are to blame for everything

Not everyone is ready to take responsibility for their own life - it is much easier to attribute all failures to external circumstances. Such people tend to have an external locus of control. But such a position leads to anxiety and even depression. We tell you how the external locus of control differs from the internal one and how this determines success in life.

Locus of control is the property of a person to attribute their successes or failures either only to internal or only to external factors. The first type is an external (external) locus. In this case, a person assumes that everything happens due to external influences: for example, the weather is to blame for an incorrectly solved test, and the promotion at work happened by accident - this is just luck. A person's belief that his life depends on external circumstances is a psychological defense. This may indicate inferiority, a low level of self-esteem. The one who does not believe in his own strength, accordingly, limits himself. People with an external locus of control are more likely to suffer from psychopathology: feeling their helplessness and insignificance, they perceive the world as hostile.

The second type is an internal (internal) locus. In this case, the impact factors include character traits, the presence of certain skills and knowledge, experience, and so on. Sometimes this may be appropriate: for example, the reason for a failed test is insufficient preparation, problems with concentration, fatigue. By noting them, the student will prepare more effectively for it next time. In addition, internals show greater cognitive activity. Deeper processing of information, introspection allows them to gradually increase the complexity of the task, which leads them to success.

However, such a tendency can aggravate the situation, since the person considers himself to be guilty of everything. This can lead to frustration, anxiety, and increased stress levels. Internals are more likely to occupy a higher position in society than externals, notes Julian Rotter, who proposed the idea of a locus of control.

The difference between external and internal locus of control lies not only in relation to responsibility for what is happening, but also in life goals and character traits. Internals are self-confident, consistent, calm, they are prone to reflection and often achieve their goals. Externals, on the contrary, are anxious, show aggression, and have a low level of self-control.

“During the entrance exams, I assigned each student to one of two groups: those with an internal or external locus of control. Internals were more likely to say: "I know it's up to me", "I need to learn how to become more successful", "I am responsible for what happens in my practice", etc. Externals say things like "It's too hard to succeed these days" or "Competition in our field is killing me." That is, external factors, such as luck, fate, will determine whether they succeed or not.

Locus of control is often seen as an innate component of personality. However, there is evidence that childhood experiences also influence this. If parents encourage independence and help to understand the connection between actions and their consequences, as a rule, the child develops an internal locus of control.

The benefits of this were highlighted in a study investigating the potential impact of locus of control on health. The researchers found that of more than 7,500 British adults who were followed from birth, internals in their thirties were less likely to be overweight and less likely to experience stress. The main explanation for these results was that such people are more confident in their ability to influence outcomes through their own actions. As a rule, they have higher self-esteem than externals.”

Comment by clinical psychotherapist Richard Joelson for Psychology.today

External and internal locus of control are two extremes.

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