Locus of Control

Locus of control refers to the degree to which people believe that they, as opposed to external forces (beyond their influence), have control over the outcome of events in their lives. A person can either have an internal locus of control or an external locus of control (Rotter, 1954) or be somewhere on the scale between the two extremes.

Internal Locus of Control

n d s e t

I can do this

I can determine my future.

I make things happen

External Locus of Control

Why bother?

There is nothing I can do about my future

Why does everything happen to me?

Where do you sit on the locus of control scale and how does that affect your performance?