Julian Rotter's Idea Of Locus Of Control

Does mankind actually have control over what happens in their lives? In 1966, Julian Rotter proposed the idea of locus of control. Locus of control refers to one’s beliefs about the power they have on their own lives. A person with an external locus of control thinks that outcomes in their lives are based on outside forces out of their control. An internal locus of control is the belief that people control their own outcomes, that life is a direct result of their efforts. Researchers have found that people with an internal locus of control are more independent, healthier, perform better academically, achieve more in their careers, and are less depressed (James, softchalkcloud.com). A person with an internal locus of control believe they have free will. A person with an external locus of control believe that free will is a false hope that can only be taken away from them, that their life is not in

Say for instance, a boy has an English test tomorrow morning. He doesn’t spend much time studying and went out to dinner with his friends instead. When he gets his test back, he sees that he failed. If the boy had an internal locus of control would take responsibility of the failure and blame it on his lack of studying. If the boy had an external locus of control would say the teacher grades too harshly or that the test was too hard, anything but his own fault. If the boy views this situation internally, he will study for the test next time because he knows the outcome is determined by himself, just like Truman Burbank. If the boy views this situation externally, the boy will choose to give up his free will and give up in general because he believes his life is controlled by other forces. Free will is the ability to choose between different possible courses of action. If viewed externally, the boy will sacrifice his ability to choose different possible courses of action, just like Winston