Locus of Control

Fundamentals

In 1954, Julian Rotter put forth the concept of internal versus external control of reinforcement in a seminal text on social learning theory. Social learning theory represents a synthesis of Clark Hull’s stimulus-response theory and Edward Tolman’s cognitive interactionist theory. The major difference between stimulus-response and cognitivist learning theory centers on the use of the concept of reinforcement (i.e., goal, objective, outcome). The premise of social learning theory is that an individual’s actions are predicted on the basis of the individual’s expectations for reinforcement, the perceived value of the reinforcement, and the situation in which the individual finds himself or herself. Expectancy requires that the individual value the outcome, have self-efficacy, understand and trust the reward system, and avoid negative or unacceptable outcomes.

Although Rotter’s social learning theory attempted to integrate stimulus-response and cognitive interactionist learning theories, he is more commonly viewed as a leading contributor to the study of linear cognitive interaction. Perhaps this view is based on his notable emphasis on the cognitive-field interactionist learning theory of Kurt Lewin rather than on B. F. Skinner’s theory of conditioning through reinforcement. Social learning theory embodies the idea of continuous learning and making meaning within a collective context through interaction with one’s environment. In other words, personality, which is internal to the person, cannot be viewed as existing in isolation from the environment. To understand behavior the individual and environment must be considered together. The concept of locus of control is focused on the individual’s perception of whether the locus of control or power is centralized in the person or in the environment.

Rotter conceptualized locus of control as a predisposition in the perception of what causes reinforcement (i.e., reward, favorable outcome, goal accomplishment). A predisposition for internal locus of control (i.e., internality) results from the perception that reinforcement is contingent on one’s own behavior or one’s own relatively permanent characteristics or traits (i.e., personality). Perception that [Page 449]reinforcement is due to luck, chance, fate, or factors beyond one’s control indicates an external locus of control (i.e., externality).

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