There’s only so much in life you have control over. There are few outcomes you can influence, but many more that you can’t. For example, you have little power over what other people think. They might not be fond of you and there’s not much you can do to change their opinion.
You also can’t control the weather, traffic, or last night’s football game score. Those events will happen and you can’t change their outcome. The extent to which you feel that you have control over these types of events in your life is called the Locus of Control. It is an incredibly powerful concept, and that if well-understood, can lead to tremendous success.
Key Takeaways
- The Locus of Control refers to someone’s perception of the main causes of events in their life.
- People with an external locus of control believe that their fate is controlled by outside forces, such as luck and circumstance. Those with an internal locus of control, on the other hand, take charge of their destiny.
- There lies a remarkable power in having an internal locus of control. When you concentrate on the things you can control, it won’t be up to luck or circumstance whether you do well in life.
What Is The Locus of Control?
The Locus of Control refers to someone’s perception of the main causes of events in their life. If you were to phrase the concept as a question, it would go something like this, “Do you believe that your destiny controlled by yourself or by external forces, such as fate, God, or powerful others?”
The concept was developed by American psychologist, Julian Rottner, in the 1950s.1 Rottner believed you could either have an internal locus of control and believe that you make things happen, or an external locus of control and believe that things happen to you.
People with an external locus of control believe that their fate is controlled by outside forces, such as luck and circumstance. They believe outside factors control their lives. Those with an internal locus of control, on the other hand, take charge of their destiny. They focus on variables they can control, such as attitude, effort, and focus. People from this category believe that events in their life result from their own actions.
Both are considered to be at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Does that mean that one mindset better than the other? What locus of control do you need to adopt do achieve personal success? Or are both of equal value?
Related: 5 Ways to Stop Caring What Other People Think
Adopt an Internal Locus of Control and Success Will Follow
Let’s say you do poorly on a test in school. Those with an external locus of control may blame an unfair teacher for their poor performance. People with an internal locus of control will look at the situation differently. They will take responsibility for the result and study harder for the next test to avoid another poor grade. If you attempt to control everything in life, and then get upset about the things you can’t control, you are setting yourself up for a life of frustration.
A quote by Thomas S. Monson reads, “We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and contentment, may we choose a positive attitude.” There lies a remarkable power in having an internal locus of control. When you concentrate on the things you can control, it won’t be up to luck or circumstance whether you do well in life.
References
- Rottner, Julian B. “Generalized expectancies of internal versus external control of reinforcements.” Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, vol. 80, no. 1, 1966, pp. 1-28, doi: 10.1037/h0092976.