Locus of Control

Misconceptions about Locus of Control

Researchers have expressed concern about the theoretical and measurement issues involved with locus of control, claiming that the concept has been overgeneralized and oversimplified. There is a misconception that internality is invariably associated with positive elements and that externality is associated with negative events. In reality, however, people cannot exercise control over all events or situations—hence, we should try to alter what can be changed but accept what cannot be changed. Therefore, it is more meaningful to distinguish objective work control from people's beliefs and perceptions about control. Locus of control is a personality variable that concerns whether a person believes he or she can control certain types of events, whereas a control perception concerns whether a person can influence a particular event at a specific time.

In 1982, Rothbaum, Weisz, and Snyder proposed two categories of control, primary and secondary. Primary control consists of actions that a person takes to change the world or attempts to adapt the world to the person. Secondary control involves changing the self to fit the external environment. This two-process model of perceived control discusses not only the sources of control (i.e., locus of control) but also the direction or motivation of control.

Measurement of Locus of Control

Julian Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, published in 1966, is the most commonly used and cited locus of control instrument. It comprises 23 items. Since the early 1980s, more than 30 locus of control measurement scales have been developed and adapted to different domains or work settings, such as the Work Locus of Control Scale, developed by P. E. Spector in 1988, and the Vocational Locus of Control Scale, developed by Genevieve Fournier and Chantale Jeanrie in 1999. These researchers found that their locus of control scales are better predictors of situation-specific behavior than Rotter's scale.

The Importance of Locus of Control as a Stress Moderator

The concept of locus of control has been examined in many disciplines, including psychology, education, and medicine. Internal locus of control has been found to moderate stressful life events and may alleviate emotional distress among cancer patients.

In the field of industrial/organizational psychology—specifically, in research on job stress and well-being—Spector used his control model of stress to explain that control helps to filter perceptions of [Page 462]situations and influences whether situations are appraised as threatening. A person who perceives low control is more likely to appraise situations as job stressors. In Spector's 1986 meta-analysis, he stated that internal locus of control is related to a lower perception of work role stress (role conflict and role ambiguity) and less physical and psychological strain.

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