What is locus of control and how to determine whether it is external or internal

Determining Rotter's Locus of Control

What is locus of control? This is a personality trait in which a person explains his successes and failures by the influence of external or internal factors. Translated from French, locus is location, and contrôle is verification. In psychology, the concept of locus of control suggests that people look for the reason for everything that happens either in the environment (a bad streak, fate, the machinations of ill-wishers) or in their inner world. This is how they justify all their actions.

The term was introduced into science by Julian Rotter. That is why the phenomenon is called Rotter's locus of control. It is also called cognitive orientation. It shows whether an individual controls his own life or relies on circumstances.

Interesting pattern

Based on the above information, we can say that the internal locus has a much more beneficial effect on human life. It is this pole that increases labor productivity, brings a person pleasure from the actions performed, and also contributes to the development of resistance to external influences. However, if this pole is overexpressed, there are also negative consequences. Each individual should have only realistic incentives that can be achieved through targeted actions. Desires to change circumstances that are not subject to external influence can provoke a state of frustration and the development of depressive syndrome.

An objective assessment of one’s own capabilities is closely interconnected with the state of society

That is why overseas researchers pay such close attention to the locus of control. Many foreign countries are characterized by stability in the field of law and economics

This leads to the fact that the vast majority of residents of such countries perform various actions based on their internal state. From this we can conclude that the internal pole is not typical for residents of countries with unfavorable social conditions. This can be explained by the fact that in such countries global events rarely depend on the actions of a particular person. The main influence on human life here is exerted by external forces.

It is important to note that the methodology used to determine membership in one of the conditional groups has several interesting nuances. According to its author, locus of control is an unstable value and can change throughout a person's life. Changes in outlook on life can be facilitated by changes in the political or economic sphere

Family values ​​also play an important role in this matter.

Changes in outlook on life can be facilitated by changes in the political or economic sphere. Family values ​​also play an important role in this matter.

The educational process involves learning to be independent and take responsibility for all decisions made and actions taken. The methods and severity of parenting are decisive factors in the choice of locus of control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=246Jx9BeZAk

Forming a locus of control

Several factors influence the development of Rotter's locus of control:

• personality traits of a particular person;
• upbringing;
• historical moment;
• society.

Depending on them, a person develops a passive or active position towards life. In the first case, he believes that nothing depends on him. And in the second, that he can still change something.

According to Julian Rotter, what one's position will be depends largely on how often a person was punished or praised as a child. He put forward this assumption in 1954. So, if after committing any actions an individual heard only reproaches and humiliation, the attitude will appear in his mind: “I can’t do anything, I have no control over what is happening.” The same thing happens if actions do not bring the expected result.

It turns out that upbringing plays one of the main roles in the formation of one or another type of locus of control. There are 2 examples:

1. A child growing up in an authoritarian family, in which mom and dad raise him inconsistently, develops external control. Going with the flow is a habit for him.
2. Children whose parents were consistent in their upbringing always take responsibility for their actions upon themselves.

And although the locus of control is formed starting in childhood, it can be changed. You can change your destiny in the same way.

Personal life

Someone will be surprised: how can a “mad scientist” have a personal life? He is obsessed with his science.

How could it? And such people get married and get married. Only the chosen one will have a difficult time with his soulmate. The latter is able to earn good money using her own mind. But this prospect does not appeal to our wise guy. He works on his tasks for pleasure, not for money.

The spouse will have to take on not only the household chores, but also work hard.

As for children, the “scientist” treats them evenly. He loves, of course, but without fanaticism. The main thing for him is that children do not interfere with self-realization.

Types of locus of control

As stated above, locus of control is divided into external and internal. Each of them has its own characteristics.

External (external)

The external locus of control is also known as external locus of control. This is a state where a person blames external conditions for everything. He believes that his life is predetermined by someone or something. Therefore, his actions will not change either the present or the future. If he managed to successfully cope with the task, that’s how the circumstances developed. And if failures follow, it’s all the stars’ fault.

A person with an external locus of control does not want to be held accountable for their actions. He transfers it to anything. It could be the people around you, the universe, some abstract forces and much more. There are always culprits for what happens. Such individuals are called externals.

Internal (internal)

Unlike the external locus of control, the internal or internal locus of control encourages people to be confident that control over life belongs only to them. If something doesn’t work out, internals look for the reason in themselves, and not in the circumstances. They evaluate their internal state and abilities. If they praise, it is only themselves. They make themselves objects of criticism.

This type of locus of control by J. Rotter in psychology is called average. A person understands that there are factors from whose influence he cannot get rid of. And he accepts them. But at the same time, he leads a fairly active lifestyle and is not afraid to take responsibility and make decisions. As they say, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade out of them.

Attention! There are no 100% pure internals or externals. A person combines both types of locus of control.

In the process of evolution, according to scientists, women have better developed externality. Men are characterized by an internal locus of control.

World of Psychology

LOCUS OF CONTROL

Locus of control

(English locus of control) - American term. psychologist Julian Rotter (Rotter, 1966) to refer to the ways (strategies) by which people attribute (attribute) causality and responsibility for the results of their own and others' activities. It is assumed that different people have a tendency (preference) for a particular type of attribution of causation and responsibility. In other words, people can differ greatly in the attributions they make for their own and/or others' successes and failures.

There are 2 polar ways of attributing causality and responsibility (Locus of control). In one case, causality and responsibility are attributed to the acting personality itself (its efforts, abilities, desires) - this strategy is called “internal” (“internal Locus of control”, “subjective L.K.”), in another case “responsibility is assigned” to factors independent of the individual - external circumstances, accidents, luck, the mystical factor of fate, the fatal effect of heredity, etc.; the second method is called “external physical therapy.”

According to the degree of propensity for these 2 personality traits, people are classified into internals and externals. More precisely, this is the name given to individuals who receive extreme scores on the internality scale. The terms “internals” and “externals” should not be confused with the consonant terms “introverts” and “extroverts.”

In the domestic literature, the term “Locus of control” is often replaced by “locus of subjective control”, and the modified Rotter questionnaire is called the “Subjective Control Level Questionnaire” (abbr. “USK Questionnaire”). (B.M.)

Psychological Dictionary. A.V. Petrovsky M.G. Yaroshevsky

Locus of control (from Latin locus - place, location and French contrüle - check) is a quality that characterizes a person’s tendency to attribute responsibility for the results of his activities to external forces (external or external locus of control) or to his own abilities and efforts (internal or internal Locus of control ).

The concept of Locus of Control was proposed by the American psychologist D. Rotter. Locus of control is a stable property of an individual, formed in the process of his socialization. To determine the Locus of Control, a questionnaire was created and a set of techniques was developed to identify the natural connection between L.K. and other personal characteristics. It has been shown that people who have internal personal qualities are more self-confident, consistent and persistent in achieving their goals, prone to introspection, balanced, sociable, friendly and independent. A tendency toward external love, on the contrary, manifests itself along with such traits as lack of confidence in one’s abilities, imbalance, the desire to postpone the implementation of one’s intentions indefinitely, anxiety, suspicion, conformity, and aggressiveness. It has been experimentally shown that internal personality is a socially approved value (the ideal self (see self-ideal) is always attributed to internal personality).

Dictionary of psychiatric terms. V.M. Bleikher, I.V. Crook

no meaning or interpretation of the word

Neurology. Complete explanatory dictionary. Nikiforov A.S.

no meaning or interpretation of the word

Oxford Dictionary of Psychology

Locus of control is a general term used in social psychology to refer to the perceived source of control over one's behavior. It is assessed according to the dimension - from high internal to high external. Internals are those people who tend to accept responsibility for their own actions and view themselves as having control over their own destinies, while externals are those who tend to view the source of control as permanently located elsewhere and attribute success or failure to external factors. forces.

Note that reality is not measured here; the question is not whether real control comes from exogenous or endogenous sources, but how the individual perceives it. Cm

attribution theory, internality-externality scale.

subject area of ​​the term

INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL is a feature of a person when he takes responsibility for the events of his life and sees their reasons in his behavior and his personal characteristics.

EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL is a feature of a person when he attributes responsibility for the events of his life and his personal characteristics to external environmental factors, surrounding people, and “fate.”

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:dictionary of terms

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Types of people

According to psychologists, a person’s self-esteem is closely dependent on his locus of control. Anyone who constantly controls himself internally knows how to objectively assess his abilities and capabilities. He has a correct awareness of himself as a person. So, internals and externals. How are they different from each other?

Characteristics of internals:

• take responsibility for any of their actions;
• do not depend on the opinions of others;
• value themselves, are self-sufficient;
• have internal harmony;
• have a stable psyche;
• work for results.

People with an internal locus of control are usually happy, successful, and healthy. They treat others kindly. They look at the world through a positive lens.

Those with an external locus of control have the following traits:

• they don’t see their mistakes;
• do not know how to analyze mistakes and correct them;
• constantly feel helpless;
• depend on the opinions of strangers;
• have an unstable psyche;
• stop actions at the first failures.

A constant companion of externalities is a feeling of complete hopelessness. They are not happy, they experience weakness and malaise, and they do not receive joy from their lives. Such people show aggression, suspicion, and anxiety.

The main differences between externals and internals can be listed in the table.

It is worth noting that people with an external locus of control are more likely than others to develop mental and somatic pathologies. Their lives have no purpose or meaning.

Theoretical basis

For the method of cognitive orientation, it is important that externals have weaker motivation than internals, and hence the tendency to conformism and dependence. There is a positive correlation between internality and the determination of the meaning of life: the more a subject believes that everything in his life depends on his personal efforts and abilities, the more often he finds meaning in his own life and the better he sees its goals.

For supporters of behavioral theory and behavior researchers, it is interesting that analysis of the structure of the locus of control makes it possible to discover the direction of an individual’s action, predicting the conditions that promote or interfere with this, and the dependence of behavior on reinforcements.

When working with antisocial groups, the technique can be used to identify anxious, maladjusted adolescents with an external locus of control. This will help to provide them with timely assistance before the state of prolonged stress leads them to commit illegal acts or suicide attempts. There is evidence of a greater tendency of externals to deceive and commit immoral acts. The connection between the level of subjective control and the behavior of adolescents and young people in criminogenic and post-criminogenic situations is also considered.

In management psychology, the differences between internal and external personalities can be used; they can turn out to be significant from the point of view of their professional activity. For example, externals are characterized by greater susceptibility to manipulation, they are more compliant and sensitive to the opinions and assessments of others. In general, externalizing individuals appear to be good performers who work effectively under the control of other people. Internals, unlike externals, work more productively not in a team, but alone. They are more active in searching for information. In addition, internal personalities cope better with work that requires initiative. They are more decisive, self-confident, principled in interpersonal relationships, and are not afraid to take risks. Research shows that internal leaders are able to successfully exercise directive leadership. Internal and external personalities also differ in other features, for example, self-esteem. People with an internal locus of control think of themselves as kind, sociable, friendly, determined, calm, honest, and self-sufficient. And people with an external locus of control consider themselves dependent, irritable, dependent, selfish, indecisive, unsure of themselves, and hostile to the environment.

The identification of a personal characteristic that describes the extent to which a person feels like an active subject of his own activity, and to what extent he feels like a passive object of the actions of other people and external circumstances, is justified by existing empirical research and can contribute to further study of a wide range of problems in general and especially applied personality psychology Moreover, the subject of psychological analysis is increasingly becoming the subject of various forms of voluntary activity of the individual, his everyday consciousness, types of explanation of the world around him, worldviews, and a person’s attitude towards his destiny.

Variants of this test have been developed for adults, schoolchildren and even preschoolers. There is also a version for national minorities. All of these options underwent thorough psychometric testing during their creation. For the original version, reliability testing was carried out by splitting the test and repeating it after 2 months. This check showed that the test is quite reliable. The same can be said about its validity.

So, according to research, people with a predominance of internal locus of control are more self-confident, calm, positive, they have easier interpersonal relationships, and they are more independent. People with an external locus of control are characterized by increased anxiety, less tolerance towards others, and less popularity and conformity.

Personal maturity

Internal locus of control in psychology is a property of a mature person. He doesn't care what other people think about him. He gives an objective, not subjective assessment of his abilities and capabilities. But in this case it is difficult not to go to extremes.

To stick to the golden mean, set goals that you can definitely achieve. Don't try to change circumstances beyond your control. Otherwise, you are guaranteed to experience disappointment, depression, and apathy. And one more piece of advice - analyze your surroundings. If you see instability, do not make far-reaching plans.

Examples

An external locus of control makes a person believe that everything good and bad happens in his life due to external circumstances. For example, he can give the following explanations for the events happening to him:

• graduated from university with bad grades because the education system in the country is bad;
• I was late for work because there were traffic jams;
• the salary is low because the management does not appreciate it;
• It is not possible to get rid of excess weight due to bad heredity.

He also explains positive events by external circumstances. For example, many students believe that they entered the university by pure luck, and subsequently it seems to them that they are often lucky in their studies. And yet, much more often, externality manifests itself in the fact that a person blames circumstances and others for his troubles.

Individuals with an internal locus of control consider events that happen to them to be their own achievements or failures. Typically their explanations look like this:

• I didn’t study very diligently, that’s why my grades were bad;
• I was late for work because I left very late;
• the salary is low because there are not enough qualifications for promotion;
• excess weight cannot be lost due to poor eating habits and reluctance to exercise.

Of course, individuals with an internal locus of control also credit positive events to their own merits. They consider good education, discipline, a slim figure, high income, etc. exclusively as personal achievements. In communication, such people are more pleasant, because they are always confident in themselves and almost never exude negativity.

Study methodology

Back in 1966, Julian Rotter developed a technique that allows you to assess a person's locus of control. Many psychologists have tried to modify the test. Today, the classic version and modification of O.P. Eliseev “Cognitive Orientation” is most often used.

Locus of Control Scale

Helps to find out whether a person is internal or external. It also shows how ready he is to see himself, to evaluate his role, successes and failures in a particular area.

The test questionnaire for J. Rotter's locus of control scale contains 44 questions. You must either agree with the statement or refute it.

1. Building a career depends on luck, and not on the efforts of the person himself.
2. Divorces are a consequence of the fact that partners either do not want or do not know how to compromise.
3. Everyone gets sick. It cannot be prevented or predicted.
4. Cold, insensitive people are always alone.
5. I can realize all my desires if I have luck.
6. It is impossible to win sympathy. Whether the person likes you or not.
7. Marriage depends on the money and influence of the parents as well as on the spouses themselves.
8. I often think that I cannot change anything in my own life.
9. The company will develop if all decisions are made by the manager, without relying on the opinions of subordinates.
10. When I was at school, my performance did not depend on me, but on external factors, including the mood of the teacher.
11. I am confident that I can achieve my plans.
12. That I can achieve what I want, carry out all my plans.
13. It is better to lead a healthy lifestyle than to go to doctors and take pills.
14. If the partners do not agree on their personalities, they need to separate. You can't change anything here.
15. My efforts and investments in the business are always appreciated.
16. The future of children depends on how their parents raised them.
17. There are no happy or unlucky cases, nor does fate.
18. In this life, little depends on me, so I don’t make plans.
19. While studying at school, my grades depended on my preparation for the lesson.
20. When there are quarrels in the family, I consider myself to be to blame, not my partner.
21. Most of the people around me are floating with the flow, surrendering to fate.
22. I like it when employees can make decisions as well as the manager.
23. My illnesses are not a consequence of my lifestyle.
24. Mistakes and failures are the result of an unfortunate combination of circumstances.
25. A bad manager is the fault of the employees.
26. I think that I am unable to change family relationships.
27. I just have to want it and I can win the sympathy of absolutely anyone.
28. The future life of a child depends not so much on upbringing as on the influence of any external factors.
29. Responsibility for everything that happens to me lies solely with me.
30. Often I don’t understand why the manager acted this way and not otherwise.
31. People who cannot build a career have themselves to blame.
32. I know how to get what I need from those around me, including family members.
33. Those around me are to blame for my failures.
34. Careful child care is protection against many diseases.
35. If it's difficult for me, I wait for the problems to be solved on their own.
36. Success is not luck or coincidence. This is long, hard work on yourself.
37. How happy my family will be depends only on me.
38. I sincerely don’t understand why some people like me and others don’t.
39. I never ask anyone for help. I always rely on my own strength.
40. Often a person's contribution to a particular cause remains underestimated.
41. Often, family problems cannot be solved, even if you really want to.
42. Responsibility for untapped potential and undeveloped abilities lies with the person himself.
43. Most of my victories are thanks to those around me.
44. Almost all my failures are my fault, my laziness or lack of knowledge.

The interpretation of the results depends on how many of your answers match the answers in the key. A total of 6 areas of life are considered:

1. General internality. Count 1 point if you answered “Yes” to the following questions: 2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 25, 27, 29, 32, 34, 36, 37 , 39, 42, 44. “No” - 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 18, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 31, 33, 38, 40, 41 , 43.
2. Achievements. “Yes” - 12, 15, 27, 32, 36, 37. “No” - 1, 5, 6, 14, 26, 43.
3. The area of ​​failure. “Yes” - 2, 4, 20, 31, 42, 44. “No” - 7, 24, 33, 38, 40, 41.
4. Family life. “Yes” - 2, 16, 20, 32, 37. “No” - 7, 14, 26, 28, 41.
5. Job. “Yes” - 19, 22, 25, 42. “No” - 1, 9, 10, 30.
6. Sphere of health. “Yes” - 13, 34. “No” - 3, 23.

First of all, it is necessary to evaluate the results of general internality. If you have 33-34 points, then the internal personality type predominates in you. If from 0 to 11, the external locus of control predominates. If you get 12-32 points, you can talk about a mixed type.

As for other areas, high scores indicate that a person is ready to take responsibility for his life and act actively. Low scores, on the contrary, symbolize people who are accustomed to taking a passive position. They always shift responsibility onto the people around them. Moreover, they are “blamed” for both victories and defeats.

"Cognitive orientation"

Like the previous testing, it helps to determine what kind of locus of control you have: external or internal. There are 29 points here. In each of them you need to choose one of the two statements given. They are designated by the letters “a” and “b”.

Now you need to compare your answers with those given in the table. For each match, count one point. Key to interpreting results:

1. You have an external locus of control if you answered: 2a, 3b, 4b, 5b, 6a, 7a, 9a, 10b, 11b, 12b, 13b, 15b, 16a, 17a, 18a, 20a, 21a, 22b, 23a, 25a , 26b, 28b, 29a.
2. You are an internal if your answers look like this: 2b, 3a, 4a, 5a, 6b, 7b, 9b, 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 15a, 16b, 17b, 18b, 20b, 21b, 22a, 23b, 25b, 26a , 28a, 29b.

The maximum score is 23. 6 questions are considered background questions.

Processing the results

The results are processed in several stages:

1. Using the key, “raw” points are calculated for each scale:

The number corresponding to the choice determines the number of points received for each answer. In this case, points for answers to questions with a “+” sign are summed up with their sign, and for questions with a “–” sign - with the opposite sign.

Key

2. “Raw” points are converted (Σ) into walls.

Table for converting raw scores into standard scores

3. The received assessments within the walls are entered into the table: