Poe’s narrator of “The Black Cat”, who declares that “he will die tomorrow”, describes himself as a caring and loving man. When he was young, he was bullied because of his “concern for all living things”. He also was considered to be rather timid and an easy target for bullies. The external locus of control in his case was that he right away became a victim of his behavior. There was a chance that he could have developed an internal locus of control as an adult. However, he became an alcoholic and a victim of his own making instead. He also married a woman who shared his love of animals and had an external locus of control because she allowed her husband to bring pets into the house knowing they could be harmed. People who have external locus of control believe that “their …show more content…
His external locus of control of his depressive, alcoholic state led him to kill his cat. He had stabbed and hung the poor cat from a tree. Hence, he made the cat a victim of his alcohol-fueled rage. . We all have the ability to control of our own destiny by making the right choices for ourselves. Even if you don’t have the natural ability to have a locus of control, there are many things you can do to increase your locus of control. For example, you can change your attitude and avoid negative “self-talk” and keep an open mind (Scott). The benefit of having a positive attitude or thoughts will keep you in a better frame of mind. Another strategy is to avoid thinking that your fate or destiny is out of control, or that someone else controls it (Scott). Moreover, other strategies include using problem-solving skills, logic, analysis, and reasoning to come up with solutions (McKay, B. & McKay, K.). These strategies lead to dealing with stress and change better. Lastly, and most important, taking control and responsibility for your behavior we help avoid external locus of control or blaming others for what happens to us (McKay, B. & McKay,