Locus of Control Psychology

The locus of control is considered an important personality aspect within psychology. This concept was originally developed by Julian Rotter in the 1950s and is also known as the Locus of Control of Reinforcement. It pertains to an individual’s perception regarding the underlying root causes of different events that take place in his/her life. In other words, it is a person’s general belief about the amount of control they exert over their personal or professional lives. It serves as a bridge between behavioral and cognitive psychology. Rotter was of the belief that a person’s behavior was largely influenced by “reinforcements” like rewards or punishments and that through these contingencies, a person came to hold beliefs about what causes their actions. These beliefs in turn have an influence on the attitudes and behaviors a person eventually develops. Philip Zimbardo (a famous psychologist) explains Locus of Control as: “A locus of control orientation is a belief about whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent on what we do (internal control orientation) or on events outside our personal control (external control orientation)." (Zimbardo, 1985, p. 275).

Typically there are two locus of control:

Internal Locus of Control: Those with an internal locus of control are of the belief that their life events are mainly due to their personal characteristics (motivation or abilities). People who have an internal locus of control typically have a more positive self-evaluation. Furthermore, they tend to perform very well in most employment situations, are more successful in their careers, are more prosperous, and are better suited to be in leadership positions. They are more content with their jobs/careers, can deal better with stressful situations, and tend to be motivated by performance-based rewards.

External Locus of Control: Those with an external locus of control are of the belief that their life events are mainly due to their luck, fate, or external conditions. People with an external locus of control are of the opinion that their life’s outcomes are beyond their control, however, they do have control over the results of the tasks that they perform.

Having said that, is an internal locus of control more desirable?

Psychologically, it is perceived to be healthy if one is able to extend control over their life events. So it would be natural to expect that an internal locus of control is more desirable. Those with an internal locus of control can also be referred to as having "self-agency", "personal control", "self-determination", etc. According to research, males generally have an internal locus of control and people generally develop an internal locus as they grow older. People in higher organization positions also tend to have an internal locus, but that does not mean that an external locus is bad. Those with an internal locus have been found to be psychologically unstable, who might lack competence, efficiency, and in extreme cases can turn neurotic, anxious, and depressed. It is very important that internals have a realistic sense of their circle of influence in order to truly experience the “success” associated with this personality trait.

References:

McShane, S. L., Tasa, K., & Steen, S. L. (2021). 1. In Canadian organizational behavior. essay, McGraw Hill Ryerson.

Neill, J. (n.d.). What is Locus of Control? Retrieved from https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/What%20is%20Locus%20of%20Control%20by%20James%20Neill.pdf