Locus of Control

Internal Locus of Control

People with an internal locus of control often believe that they are in control of their own destinies and happenings in their lives. People with an internal locus of control likely see a relationship between the effort they put into an endeavor and the outcome. People with an internal locus of control feel that events that happen to them are a result of their own work and effort. The benefit of an internal locus of control is that people feel in control of their life situations and responsible for what happens to them. Thus, they may be likely to work hard in order to do well in educational and vocational areas.

External Locus of Control

People with an external locus of control are more likely to believe that their fate is determined by chance or outside forces that are beyond their control. People with an external locus of control see environmental causes and situational factors as being more influential than internal ones. These individuals would more often see luck rather than effort as determining whether they succeed or fail. A benefit of this viewpoint is that people with an external locus of control may be better able to cope with failure or trauma because they do not blame themselves for what happens to them. However, an external locus of control may be harmful in that it may lead to feelings of helplessness and loss of personal power.

Multicultural Considerations

From a traditional psychological perspective, an internal locus of control is considered indicative of a healthy, adaptive, and self-determined approach to life. An external locus of control would be associated with apathy, passivity, and pathology. It is important to realize that the locus of control construct was developed within the perspective of a Eurocentric worldview. As a result, the construct assumes that individual control and choice are to be highly valued. The assumption that an internal locus of control is to be preferred to an external locus of control assumes that individualism and self-determination are inherently valuable. Thus, the Eurocentric locus of control construct pathologizes worldviews that de-emphasize individual choice and control. Moreover, the Eurocentric conception of locus of control ignores the role that discrimination and oppression play in undermining opportunities and choices of members of marginalized communities.

Cultures with a collectivistic worldview, as found in some African American, Asian, Latino/a, and Native American cultural groups, may value commitment to relationships above individual concerns and identify with a larger social group more so than do individualistic cultures. For example, in some Asian cultural settings, a family and group orientation is valued above individual needs. From this perspective, cooperation with the goals of family or community would be considered more important than self-determination. Members of such a culture may be likely to endorse an external locus of control, since external forces such as family and societal expectations play a prominent role in their lives. Thus, in this context, an external locus of control would indicate not pathology, but rather a socially sanctioned respect for the influence and expectations of family and society.

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