LOCUS OF CONTROL

Locus of Control

The degree to which individuals believe they have control over the outcomes of events in their lives.

Rotter's Locus of Control

A psychological concept developed by Julian Rotter that categorizes individuals as having either an internal or external locus of control.

Internally controlled individuals

People who believe their successes and achievements are due to their own efforts and abilities.

Externally controlled individuals

Individuals who attribute outcomes to luck, fate, or the actions of others.

The Rotter Study (1966) - Aim

To investigate if locus of control affects whether a person adopts or rejects a health behavior.

Findings for Internally Controlled Individuals

Less likely to take risks when gambling, better at changing others' attitudes, less likely to smoke, and resistant to conforming to a majority view.

Findings for Externally Controlled Individuals

More likely to take risks, prone to cognitive bias, believe they are not in control, and likely to conform to a majority view.

I-E scale

A scale used to measure an individual's locus of control, providing quantitative data.

Strength of Rotter Study

High applicability to real life as it considers a range of behaviors.

Weakness of Rotter Study

Questions about ethics and reliability since it relied on secondary research.