Locus of Control

Who proposed the idea of LOC?

Rotter 1966

what is LOC?

the extent to which people believe they have control over their lives

What does a person with an internal LOC believe ?

• what happens is a result of their own behaviour

• they have control over life

• more independent and find it easier to resist pressure of social influence

What do people with an External LOC believe ?

• what happens is controlled by external factors they don’t have complete control over life

• more likely to submit to pressures of social influence

• more dependent

What is a strength of the idea of LOC ? specifically the idea that those with an internal LOC are less likely to conform ?

• research support

• Spector 1983

• used Rotter’s LOC scale to determine whether LOC is linked to conformity

• 157 students - those with internal LOC were less likely to conform in situations of normative social influence (conform for acceptance)

• no difference in the external/internal for informational social influence

• considering LOC , normative social influence is more powerful than informational social influence

What is a strength of the idea of LOC that shows internal LOC is more likely to resist pressure to obey ?

• research support

• Oliner and Oliner 1998

• interviewed non Jewish WW2 survivors

• compared hose who had resisted orders and protected Jews from Nazis or those that hadn’t

• found that 406 ‘rescuers’ who refused orders, had an internal LOC

• 126 people who followed orders

• supports the idea that high internal LOC makes people less likely to follow orders

• however other factors contribute to this - can’t generalise

What is a weakness of the idea of LOC and resisting social influence ?

• contradictory evidence

• not all research supports link between LOC and resistance to social influence

• Twenge 1967

• conducted meta-analysis of studies spanning 4 decades and found that over time people became more external in their LOC but ALSO resistant to obedience - contradicts Rotter’s suggestions

• challenges the link between LOC and higher resistance