What is the locus of control?

The Control locus is a widely used topic in psychology, and affects the point of view of an individual and the way he has to interact with the environment. Rotter, in 1966, proposed the "locus of control" as a personality trait in its Social Learning Theory.

"If the person perceives that the event is contingent on his behavior or his own relatively permanent characteristics, it has been said that it is a belief in internal control"; instead, “when a reinforcement is perceived as following some personal action, but not being entirely contingent on it, it is typically perceived, in our culture, as the result of luck, and in this sense it has been said to be a belief in control external".

—Rotter, 1966

What is the locus of control?

According to Rotter's Theory of Social Learning, prior to the Albert bandura, human behavior takes place with a continuous interaction between cognitive, behavioral and environmental determinants. Therefore, the perception of control or no control that a person has over the events that occur around him, are important for the course of his own life.

The locus of control is a relatively stable personality variable that represents the attribution that a person makes on whether or not the effort he makes is contingent on his behavior. There are two ends of the continuum: internal locus of control Y external locus of control.

The internal locus of control occurs in the event that an individual perceives that the particular reinforcing event is contingent on her own behavior. That is, the person perceives that what has happened externally is thanks to his behavior and has control over the external consequences. For example, a person with internal locus of control attributes his happiness to himself. If he wants to be happy, he can work on it.

The external locus of control occurs when the individual perceives that an external event has occurred independently of her behavior. Therefore, the individual associates with chance, luck or destiny, the event that has occurred. For example, a person with an external locus of control attributes his happiness to another person or to the situation.

Locus of control and personal development

This concept is important, because if a person thinks that what happens around him does not depend on him, I may not act to change it. For example, if a person thinks that he has no control over the choice of the political party that he goes to rule in his country, he may not do anything to change it, not even exercise his right to vote. On the other hand, if a person thinks that his vote will be important for the election of a new government, It is possible that he is motivated to change the political landscape and may even go out to manifest.

The feeling of not being able to control an event frequently generates a state of paralysis that disables people to achieve the proposed goals.

The internal locus of control is also an important aspect for the Personal developmentSince a person with internal locus of control believes in their possibilities in the face of what happens externally and knows that by trying their best they will go far.

Learned helplessness: external locus of control

In our article “Learned helplessness: delving into the psychology of the victim”We explain the phenomenon of learned helplessness. According Cesar Ojeda, learned helplessness “refers to the condition in which a person or animal is inhibited in situations aversive or painful when the actions to avoid it have not been fruitful, ending up developing passivity in the face of themselves ”.

Therefore, the learned helplessness it could be a consequence of the individual having learned to behave passively, by perceiving that you cannot do anything to change a negative situation even though there are real possibilities for change. The direct consequence of this attribution is the loss of coping response.

Learned helplessness is a concept widely used in clinical psychology, since it is closely associated with depressive states. Several studies accept this hypothesis, for example, this study from the Catholic University of Chile which shows that patients with depression Y anxiety they score lower on the Rotter Locus of Control Scale. That is, those prone to depression and anxiety tend towards the external locus of control.

Resilient personality: internal locus of control

According to the psychologist Bertrand Regader, "a resistant person It is one that despite suffering problems and even disorders that could destabilize, is able to maintain strength, resist and float. These types of subjects are not immune to the events of the life that we all live, such as the death of a loved one, a sentimental breakup, a bad work situation... but they differ from others in that they are able to stoically accept these setbacks in life and draw strength from weakness to continue go ahead".

A psychologist at the University of Chicago, Suzanne C. Kobasa, conducted several studies on the tough personality. According to their conclusions, people with this type of personality have several characteristics. They are usually people of great commitment, internal locus of control and oriented to the challenge and with a greater openness to change.

Internal locus of control and external locus of control at work

The locus of control can also affect the job performance. It is important to understand that the locus of control is a continuum, no one is 100% external or internal locus of control. Some characteristics of the internal and external locus of control are shown below.

Individuals with internal locus of control:

• They are prone to taking responsibility for their actions
• They are less influenced by the opinions of others
• They tend to perform better when they can work at their own pace
• They have a high feeling of self-efficacy or self-confidence
• They feel safe in the face of challenges
• They are usually healthier
• They tend to be happier and more independent
• They tend to be more successful in the workplace

Individuals with external locus of control:

• They attribute to luck, fate, circumstances, or others for their successes
• They do not believe that adverse situations can change
• They are more likely to suffer from learned helplessness
• They are more unhappy
• They tend to be less successful in the workplace

Bibliographic references:

• Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectations for internal versus external control of reinforcement.
• Maddi, S. R., & Kobasa, S. C. (1984). The hardy executive: Health under stress. Homewood, IL:: Dow Jones-Irwin.
• http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/fl/What-Is-Locus-of-Control.htm