Locus of Control

Measurements

Locus of control is usually measured by questionnaires, just as personality traits are; however, locus of control is more an attitude than a trait—it measures how one thinks the world works. Some researchers have called locus of control a generalized expectancy—in other words, a person's usual expectation about how things work.

One of the first locus of control measures was Julian Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, first published in 1966 and used in thousands of articles. Rotter's measure consists of 23 forced-choice pairs; the respondent must choose one of the two statements, one internally oriented and the other externally oriented. For example, one of the pairs is “People's misfortunes result from the mistakes they make” (internal) versus “Many of the unhappy things in people's lives are partly due to bad luck” (external). Most items are general, though a few deal with specific circumstances such as school (“In the case of the well-prepared student there is rarely if ever such a thing as an unfair test”) or world affairs (“By taking an active part in political and social affairs, the people can control world events”). These are both internal items.

The most popular measure of locus of control in children is the Children's Nowicki-Strickland Internalexternal Control Scale. Other scales measure more specialized aspects of control; there has been an especially large amount of research on health locus of control. Several scales (of both general and health locus of control) are multidimensional, as many researchers agree that external control should be divided into control by fate or chance and control by powerful others.

Research

Research has consistently shown that externality is related to negative outcomes. Externals report lower subjective well-being, are more likely to be depressed, display more anxiety, and cope poorly with stress. Externals have weakened self-control and a lessened ability to delay gratification (meaning that they have a difficult time choosing long-term gains over shortterm pleasures, something necessary for many life situations, particularly college!)

Externals also consistently achieve less in school, as shown in two meta-analyses and numerous individual studies. A widely publicized report by James Coleman and his colleagues concluded that internal locus of control was a better predictor of school achievement in minority children than any other variable. Children with an internal locus of control see [Page 531]more reason to study and try hard because they believe it will make a difference; externals believe that it won't matter, compromising their performance.

Several studies have also linked externality to increased juvenile delinquency. Externality may also lead to a victim mentality, in which people blame others for their problems. Some authors have argued that the victim mentality encourages self-loathing and the expectation of low functioning and achievement.

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