31 MIN READ Show
Are You in Charge of Your Destiny?
As the environment around you changes, you can either attribute success and failure to things you have control over, or to forces outside your influence. Which orientation you choose has a bearing on your long-term success. This orientation is known as your "locus of control." Its study dates back to the 1960s, with Julian Rotter's investigation into how people's behaviors and attitudes affected the outcomes of their lives. See the transcript of this video below. Video Transcript Welcome to Mind Tools' video learning series. How much control do you feel you have over your own life? Are you firmly in the driving seat? Or do you feel as if you're always at the mercy of forces beyond your control? The way you perceive the degree of influence that you have over your own life is called your "locus of control." You have an internal locus of control when you believe you're in charge of your own life and your own environment. Your successes are down to your hard work and the decisions that you make. And you take personal responsibility for your failures. But when you have an external locus of control, you believe that outside influences shape your life. Your successes and failures are due to forces like "luck," "fate," "chance," and the actions of other people in more powerful positions. And you feel that there's not much that you can do about it. Few people have a wholly internal or external locus of control, and most of us will sit somewhere between the two. Why not take our quiz to identify your own locus of control? You can pause the video here, then play the rest afterward to find out what your results mean. If the quiz reveals that you have a strong internal locus of control, you'll feel in full control of your life. You're motivated and goal-focused, and chances are you're a good leader, too. But, you may struggle to accept authority, and any failures you experience could bring on feelings of anxiety, stress and even depression. If you have a moderate internal locus of control, you'll probably accept most situations that you can't influence. But you're still able to manage them effectively. The degree of control that you feel you have will likely vary from day to day, and will depend on the situation. If your results show that you have an external locus of control, you may tend to give up when you're faced with disappointments, because you don't believe that you have the power to change things. But you do! Develop a stronger internal locus of control by working on your self-talk. For example, by using positive affirmations. And take ownership of the situations you face by strengthening your decision-making and problem-solving skills. Setting yourself challenging, personal goals will also help to put you more firmly in control of your career and personal development. Locus of control describes the degree to which individuals perceive that outcomes result from their own behaviors, or from forces that are external to themselves. This produces a continuum with external control at one end and internal control at the other, as shown in figure 1, below: Figure 1. The Locus of Control Scale.People who develop an internal locus of control believe that they are responsible for their own success. Those with an external locus of control believe that external forces, like luck, determine their outcomes. Use the interactive quiz below to determine your current locus of control: Understanding Your Own Locus of ControlInstructions:For each pair of statements, choose the one that you believe to be the most accurate, not the one you wish was most true. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. Click the "Calculate My Total" button to add up your score and check your result using the scoring table underneath. Your last quiz results are shown.You last completed this quiz on , at .
Note:This assessment has not been validated and is intended for illustrative purposes only. It is patterned after the Locus of Control Scale developed and presented in Rotter, J.B. (1966), "Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement," Psychological Monographs, 80 (Whole No. 609). Get the Free NewsletterLearn career skills every week, plus get a bonus Explore Your Potential Checklist, free! Read our Privacy Policy Internal Locus of Control (strong)If you have a strong internal locus of control, you will likely feel that you’re in full control of the events in your life. You are self-motivated and focused on achieving the goals you have set for yourself. For these reasons, people with a strong internal locus of control often make good leaders. However, there is a potential downside to having a very strong internal locus of control. Your powerful self-belief may mean that you find it difficult to take direction, so be careful to avoid seeming arrogant or "walking over" other people in pursuit of your objectives. And be sure to manage risks properly – random events do occur for all sorts of reasons. A very strong internal drive may lead you to believe that you can control everything, and if your plans don’t work out you may feel responsible for their failure – even when events were genuinely beyond your control. This can lead to frustration, anxiety and, in extreme cases, stress or depression. Internal Locus of Control (moderate)You likely see your future as being in your own hands. As a result, you engage in activities that will improve your situation: you work hard to develop your knowledge, skills and abilities, and you take note of information that you can use to create positive outcomes. However, few people have a wholly internal or external locus of control: most of us fall somewhere between the two ends of the spectrum. Your locus of control may vary in different situations – at work and at home, for example – and it may change over time. People often tend toward a more internal locus of control as they grow older and their ability to influence the events in their lives increases. Having a moderate, rather than strong, internal locus of control may make you more able to accept situations that you can’t influence, and to manage them effectively when they arise. External Locus of ControlIf you have an external locus of control, you likely believe that what happens to you is the result of luck or fate, or is determined by people in authority. You may tend to give up when life doesn't "go your way," because you don’t feel that you have the power to change it. To overcome this, pay attention to your self-talk. When you hear yourself saying things like "I have no choice," or "There's nothing I can do," step back and remind yourself that you can always make choices. Set goals for yourself and note how you are making positive changes in your life by working toward and achieving these goals. You'll find that your self-confidence quickly builds. You may find it useful to develop your decision making and problem-solving skills. These tools can enable you to take greater ownership of situations, rather than blaming circumstances or forces "beyond your control" when things go wrong. Key PointsYour locus of control says a lot about how you view the world and your role in determining the course of your life. When you believe you have the power to control your own destiny and determine your own direction, you have a strong internal locus of control. In most cases, this is an important attitude to have if you want to be successful. People with an internal locus of control tend to work harder and persevere longer in order to get what they want. This is not to say that having an external locus of control is always bad: there are some situations where this approach can work well. The key for your own personal development is to understanding your natural tendency and then adapting it to the situations you are faced with. What are external factors of a person?External factors are those that stem from your surroundings. External factors may include expectations from your family, friends, cultural or gender stereotypes and family responsibilities. These factors can influence decision-making in a positive or negative way.
What are internal factors that may affect behavior?Behaviour is affected by factors relating to the person, including: physical factors - age, health, illness, pain, influence of a substance or medication. personal and emotional factors - personality, beliefs, expectations, emotions, mental health. life experiences - family, culture, friends, life events.
What is an example of external locus of control?If you find yourself looking for reasons to blame other people for your own problems, you're exercising an external locus of control. An example is a person blaming their waiter for their steak being undercooked when, in reality, they know they didn't explain what they wanted clearly when they ordered.
What is external and internal locus of control?The Locus of Control Scale. People who develop an internal locus of control believe that they are responsible for their own success. Those with an external locus of control believe that external forces, like luck, determine their outcomes.
|