Sergio has recently gotten involved in politics, and he has become a real activist. On any Saturday, you are likely to find him walking in a protest march or participating in a rally for some worthy cause. Does Sergio probably have an internal or external locus of control?
Chapter 13. Locus of Control
Learning Objectives
external locus of control
belief that you have little or no personal control over the events of your life; external forces, or random events, are in charge of your destiny
personality
the enduring characteristics of an individual that distinguish him/her from other people
internal locus of control
belief that you have personal control over the events of your life, and thus have the power to make changes
social-cognitive perspective
an approach to studying personality that explains behavior in terms of the interaction between a person’s individual characteristics and the social environment
Context Influences Color
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Vladimir Gjorgiev/Shutterstock
Learning Objectives:
Define the concept of personal control.
Understand the role of personal control in influencing behavior.
Survey Introduction
Survey Introduction
Select the NEXT button to take the Survey.
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How much control do you have over the events in your life? Are you free to make any choice you want, or are other people making the important decisions that affect you?
On the next page, we'll measure your opinions about personal control, one of the important concepts in the social-cognitive perspective on personality.
Personal Control Survey
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Personal Control Survey
To indicate the extent to which each of the following statements applies to you, type the number of your response for each statement into the corresponding box. Then select the NEXT button to see the results.
Use this scale to indicate statement: 1 if disagree strongly, 2 if disagree, 3 if disagree slightly, 4 if neither agree nor disagree, 5 if agree slightly. 6 if agree. 7 if agree strongly.
Survey Results
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Survey Results
Select one of the buttons to indicate your best guess as to why "internals" get better grades. Then, select the NEXT button to continue.
You have just completed one of the standard tests measuring your perceived control over the events and achievements in your life. Scores on this test can range from 10 to 70, with scores 40 and below indicating an external locus of control. Scores above 40 indicate an internal locus of control; the higher the score, the stronger the sense of personal control over one's life.
| Your Score: | Mean score for college females: |
52.2 | Mean score for college males: |
51.8 |
Researchers have found that locus of control predicts behavior across a wide range of situations, especially in college classes. For example, "internals" tend to receive higher grades and better recommendations than "externals." Can you guess why this is so?
Reference: Paulhus, P. (1983). Sphere-specific measures of perceived control. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 1253-1265.
Quiz
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Quiz
Select Internal or External to indicate the most likely answer to the question in each scenario. When you have answered all the scenario questions, select the CHECK ANSWER button.
Internal
External
Conclusion
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Conclusion
Congratulations!
You have completed the activity Title