You believe that outside forces—luck, fate, powerful others, or the "system"—determine what happens to you.
Motto: "Things happen to me."
Outcome: Can lead to higher levels of stress and anxiety, as the person feels they are a passenger in their own life. However, it can occasionally act as a psychological "buffer" against the crushing weight of failure.
Locus of Control is a psychological concept that describes the degree to which people believe they have power over the events in their lives. Developed by Julian Rotter in 1954, it sits at the intersection of personality psychology and social learning theory.
Researcher Note:
Beware the "Self-Serving Bias": Humans love to have an Internal Locus for wins ("I'm a genius!") and an External Locus for losses ("The ref was biased!"). True growth comes from maintaining an Internal Locus even when it hurts.
Beware the "Self-Serving Bias": Humans love to have an Internal Locus for wins ("I'm a genius!") and an External Locus for losses ("The ref was biased!"). True growth comes from maintaining an Internal Locus even when it hurts.