Locus of Control

“Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.” This quote from William Jennings Bryan, a politician from Nebraska in the early 1900s, is an excellent illustration of a concept central to Julian B. Rotter’s social learning theory, namely locus of control. Bryan’s quote is consistent with Rotter’s suggestion that individuals develop a generalized expectancy about their control over outcomes in their environment. Moreover, it conveys the message that control over one’s destiny can be internal (a choice) or external (chance).

In line with this quote, Rotter proposes that some individuals live in an environment where many of the outcomes they experience are believed to be ...