The Locus of Control (Essay Sample)

Locus of Control
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Locus of Control
The locus of control refers to the belief that people hold about the degree of their contribution in the achievements they make in life (Jonsson, 2014). Some people find themselves responsible for the consequences of their behavior while others relate such outcomes to the outside forces beyond their control. People hold different perceptions concerning the factors that contribute to their success or failures. For example, when a good thing happens, some people take the credit for it whereas others relate it to luck. In the case of the negative occurrence, some people take the responsibility whereas others chalk it up to fate. The locus of control expounds on the people’s belief on whether there exist a causal relationship between their behaviors and the consequences.
The locus of control can occur in internal form or external form. In the case of the Internal Locus of Control (ILC), individuals hold that their personal decisions and efforts guide the outcomes of their behaviors. People with high ILC take the responsibility of the outcomes of their behaviors and believe that they can control the world around them (Jonsson. 2014). Such people perceive themselves as having their future in their hands and believe that the choices they make can make them successful or contribute to their failure. Internal locus of control measures the degree to which an individual believes that the reinforcement or the outcome of his or her is contingent on his or her own personal characteristics. The belief in their control over the surrounding external forces makes the people with high internal locus more confident and makes them seek information that may help have the control over different situations. Such people exhibit high motivation and are oriented to success.
People with a high External Locus of Control (ELC) associate external forces with controlling the events around them (Sellier, 2014). Such individuals may go to the extent of viewing other people as being superior to them and they have no option but to obey their orders. External locus expounds on the degree to which people relate the outcomes with chance, luck, or fate and the belief that such factors are under the control of other powerful forces. As such, they become more passive and accepting. The external focus’ people attribute their success to luck more than their own efforts.
The locus of control contributes to positive and negative health effects. Research studies shows that people with high ELC suffer vulnerability to negative mental health effects including depression, anxiety, and hostility compared with people who exhibits high ILC (Lundberg, 2011)...