![]() ![]() You can see where this is going for unhealthy thought processes in both directions. They often will name an individual, circumstance, or environmental factor responsible for the outcome instead of themselves. When a person has an “External” locus of control, they tend to place the responsibility of outcomes outside of themselves. ![]() The fact is there ARE situations that are outside of our control and it is possible a person can become so invested in the concept that they control every situation that they begin to beat themselves up over things they truly have no control over, anxiety and depression then seep into their daily existence. “I’m so stupid, I can’t believe I would let that happen” and “I never get anything right” are statements that they are known to make when their perception becomes skewed towards an internal locus of control regardless of the circumstance. Just like most things in Psychology, there is a fine line between healthy and unhealthy, and if you find yourself overly Internal in your locus of control, you will soon feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. What’s wrong with that, right? It sounds like they’re an outstanding member of society and probably constantly improve all aspects of their life, right? Well, the answer isn’t so easy. They make it clear THEY are responsible for the outcome and often intend to do better in that area after they identify what THEY did wrong or could have done differently. They make statements like “I really should have spent more time on that study sheet” or “I’ll do better next time”. When a person has a locus of control heavily weighted to the “internal” side they tend to take personal responsibility for the outcomes in their life. The interesting thing about learning about, and discussing locus of control, is that you begin to see this in all aspects of your life. They either take ownership of a decision they made, a level of effort, or their quality of work as the main reason for an outcome, or they feel as though the primary factors associated with the outcome exist outside of their own control. In the 10+ years of life skills counseling and psychiatric care that I have been exposed to (and law enforcement) I have come to notice that there are two distinctly different ways people process the outcomes in their life. When we discuss the locus of control in psychological terms, we are typically referring to whether an individual tends to place the “blame” or “credit” for the things that happen to them outside of their control, or within it. Locus of Control effectively means where a person places the “point of control”, be that on their own shoulders, or that of something or someone else in their environment, whether it be a good outcome or a bad one. Locus is a Latin word meaning a particular location, point, or place.Ĭontrol is the where the power is given for a particular set of events. “Locus of Control” What does this even mean? Overall, such research has generally suggested that those with a more internal locus of control are more successful, healthier, and happier than those with a more external locus.Have you ever stopped to think about when something goes wrong for someone, they respond to the situation in one of two distinctively different ways? There are people who find fault in their environment for the reasons for outcomes, and people who look within to find the reasons. Researchers have identified several areas in which one’s sense of control appears to affect outcomes, including education, health, and civic engagement. ![]() Genetic factors may influence one’s locus of control, as well as an individual’s childhood experiences-particularly the behaviors and attitudes modeled by their early caregivers. Like other constructs in personality psychology, locus of control falls on a spectrum. A person with an external locus of control will tend to feel that other forces-such as random chance, environmental factors, or the actions of others-are more responsible for the events that occur in the individual's life. Someone with an internal locus of control will believe that the things that happen to them are greatly influenced by their own abilities, actions, or mistakes. Locus of control refers to the degree to which an individual feels a sense of agency in regard to his or her life. ![]()
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