The degree of control that a person perceives they have over their life can positively or negatively influence their health. This factor is known as the locus of control, which can be internal, considered a protective factor for emotional and physical symptoms, and external, referring to a predictor of disease. Thus, depending on whether they have an internal or external locus, people deal with life events in different ways.
In this Online Psychology article, you can find What is the external and internal locus of control and examples from each of them. In addition, we also show you how to work on the locus of control with different psychological techniques.
What is locus of control
The locus of control is a concept that was presented by Julian Rotter in 1966 through his Learning Theory. In it, the locus of control is considered a personality trait that refers to the subjective perception that a person has about the cause of events that occur in your daily life.
Thus, locus of control is a person’s belief in the power of his or her own abilities to control and guide important events in his or her life. The degree of control we perceive influences the type of behavior what we adopt and how we interact with the environment.
The locus of control is a resource that helps predict behavioral variables, affective and attitudinal. Two types of locus of control can be differentiated, internal and external.
What is the internal locus of control
The internal locus of control refers to the perception of one’s own control over life events. In other words, it is the belief that we are capable of controlling and freely deciding about our lives, that is, we control our reality. The degree of control can be attributed to our skills, abilities, competencies or behaviors.
Some examples of internal locus of control are when we achieve success at work thanks to our work, when we pass an exam and it is attributed to having studied, or when we are happy and it is associated with having work in our personal care.
What are people with internal locus of control like?
People who have an internal locus of control are focused on action, since they are more independent, responsible and conscious individuals of his abilities. In addition, they are people who have greater security and the ability to manage errors, for example. In this article, we show you the different ones.
What is the external locus of control
The external locus of control is the subjective belief that the events that happen in our lives are due to external agents, that is, when we perceive that we do not control life events because they are the responsibility of external factors.
The external locus of control can be observed in situations where It is attributed to God, luck or other people the successes or failures we experience throughout life. One of the examples of external locus of control would be when a person manages to overcome depression and the power of God is associated. Likewise, another example could be when you manage to finish a race and it is attributed to luck.
What are people with external locus of control like?
People who have an external locus of control are more insecure people, since they feel that life is uncontrollable and consider it more threatening. They are individuals who perceive that they do not have control and that has a negative impact on their self-esteem, for example. In this article, we tell you different exercises, techniques and books.
How to work the locus of control
As noted above, the locus of control is a relatively stable personality trait, so work can be done with the aim of improving control management and modifying maladaptive beliefs. Next, we will see different psychological techniques to work on the locus of control:
- Meditation: technique that promotes relaxation and full attention, which is very useful for focusing attention on the real causes of life events. This technique favors clairvoyance about the event in which the degree of control is analyzed. In this article you will see.
- Cognitive restructuring: consists of modifying dysfunctional thoughts or beliefs through their identification in order to consider possible more adaptive alternatives. For example, when you think that you pass an exam by luck and not by having studied. In this case, it is important to be aware that it has been studied and that the study has had positive results.
- Self-knowledge activities: They are based on knowing oneself to be able to identify strengths. The activity “I am” consists of defining oneself through qualifying adjectives, both negative and positive. Subsequently, the beliefs related to negative adjectives would be worked on and the reason for positive adjectives would be pointed out to highlight the positive qualities.
- Self-esteem work: It is key to increasing confidence and level of security in oneself. This work can be carried out by carrying out pleasant activities that make us feel satisfied. Another way to work on self-esteem focuses on creating healthy routines that promote well-being, both physical and emotional. In this article, we tell you.
Apart from these psychological techniques aimed at working on the locus of control, you should keep in mind that if the type of locus of control you present is interfering with your daily life, or causing you discomfort, it is best to go to a psychologist that can help you manage this situation.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Oros, L. (2005). Locus of control: Evolution of its concept and operationalization. Journal of Psychology, 14(1), Pages 89-98. Available at: https://revistadematematicas.uchile.cl/index.php/RDP/article/view/17338/18077
- Noriega, J. Á. V., Álvarez, JFL, Guedea, MTD, Armenta, EMP, & Padilla, ME (2009). Locus of control, self-concept and orientation to success in older adults from northern Mexico. Teaching and Research in Psychology, 14(1), 119-135. Available at: https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/292/29214109.pdf
- Visdómine-Lozano, JC, & Luciano, C. (2006). Locus of control and behavioral self-regulation: Conceptual and experimental reviews. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 6(3), 729-751. Available at: https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/337/33760313.pdf