Locus Of Control

Locus of Control (LOC)

Julian B. Rotter developed the locus of control concept in 1954, and it continues to play an important role in personality studies. In 1966, Rotter created a 13-item forced-choice scale in order to measure locus of control

LOC basically is how you view control over your own life. People either have an internal LOC where they believe they have the power to control their own lives, or an external LOC where you believe everything in life comes from a source other than yourself (I got fired because my boss hates me, I was late because traffic...etc.).

what's interesting is that studies have shown people with an internal LOC find greater satisfaction and success in almost every aspect of life - except one - being in a nursing home drives internal LOC people CRAZY while external LOC people thrive

When something goes wrong, it’s natural to cast blame on the perceived cause of the misfortune. Where an individual casts that blame can be related, in many cases, to a psychological construct known as “locus of control.”

Most people have either an internal or external locus of control.^[1]Those with an internal locus of control believe that their actions matter, and they are the authors of their own destiny. Those with an external locus of control attribute outcomes to circumstances or chance.