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Internal Vs. External Locus of Control Managing

Locus of control refers to the way a person processes events in his or her life. Locus of control is the source to which a person attributes successes or failures. How an individual attributes blame or praise in her life can have an impact on her quality of life and the way in which she manages stress.

  1. History

    • The concept of locus of control emerged from a study conducted by Julian Rotter in the 60s. Rotter analyzed how the attitudes individuals had and attributions individuals made would affect that individual's life experience.

      There are two types of locus of control, internal and external. A person with an internal locus of control attributes successes or failures to his or her own efforts. A person with an external locus of control believes that there are outside factors that influence success and failure.

    Internal

    • An internal locus of control is the result of the belief that a person's life situation, failures and successes are directly related to his efforts. If that individual wishes to run a marathon, read a book or create a budget, the success or failure he has in any of those areas would be directly linked to his actions.

    External

    • A person with an external locus of control might take on the same tasks as the person with an internal locus of control; however, she will attribute the failures or successes to external factors. This person does not see the impact that her decisions or actions have on the success and failures in her life.

    Stress and Locus of Control

    • Individuals with an external locus of control are said to have a higher stress rate, as well as higher risk for health issues, particularly cardiovascular, according to the Work Health website. This could be related to the perceived lack of control of the individual. Much of the research on locus of control identifies internal locus of control as having a strong correlation with mental and physical health; however, it is possible for internal locus of control to become a liability. Not everything can be attributed to internal factors, and knowing when something is due to external factors is an important part of managing stress.

    Managing Locus of Control

    • There is a test available to help determine locus of control that was developed by Julian Rotter and modifications of this tool are available online. If you wish to change an external locus of control to an internal one, there are some things you can do. Deliberately become aware of the blaming of external factors that you partake in daily. Pay attention to your own actions that impact your successes or failures. If you believe that you are suffering from some drawbacks as a result of internal locus of control, become aware of blaming yourself or internalizing events that are truly beyond your control. A healthy awareness of your own actions, as well as external factors in your world, promotes mental health and stress management and helps you achieve your goals.

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