Locus of Control and Well-Being
Who is happier —internals who believe they can control most things or exter-
nals who recognize the limits that outside forces place on them? Which
person is more productive, better liked, and better adjusted? A case can be
made for either position. On one hand, we could argue that internals probably
work harder and thus achieve more because they feel they control outcomes.
Externals, who give up in the face of setbacks and who quickly conclude there
is nothing they can do to correct a problem, are unlikely to get far in a world
filled with obstacles and challenges. On the other hand, just because peopleASSESSING YOUR OWN PERSONALITY
Locus of Control
Indicate the extent to which each of the following statements applies to you.Use the following scale: 1 ¼Disagree strongly, 2 ¼Disagree, 3 ¼Disagree
slightly, 4 ¼Neither agree nor disagree, 5 ¼Agree slightly, 6 ¼Agree,
7¼Agree strongly.
1. When I get what I want, it ’s usually because I worked hard
for it.
2. When I make plans, I am almost certain to make them work.
3. I prefer games involving some luck over games requiring pure
skill.
4. I can learn almost anything if I set my mind to it.
5. My major accomplishments are entirely due to my hard work
and ability.
6. I usually don ’t set goals because I have a hard time following
through on them.
7. Competition discourages excellence.
8. Often people get ahead just by being lucky.
9. On any sort of exam or competition I like to know how well
I do relative to everyone else.
10. It ’s pointless to keep working on something that ’s too difficult
for me.
To determine your score, reverse the point values for items 3, 6, 7, 8, and
10 (1¼7; 2¼6; 3¼5; 5¼3; 6¼2; 7¼1). Then add the point values
for each of the 10 items together. A recent sample of college students found
a mean of 51.8 for males and 52.2 for females, with a standard deviation
of about 6 for each. The higher your score, the more you tend to believethat you are generally responsible for what happens to you in personal
achievement situations.
Scale: Personal Efficacy Scale
Source: Copyright © 1998 by the American Psychological Association. Reproduced with permission.
Paulhus, Delroy (1983) Sphere-specific measures of perceived control. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology . 44, 1253 –1265. doi 10.1037/0022-3514.44.6.1253. No further reproduction or
distribution is permitted without written permission from the American Psychological Association.402 CHAPTER 14 The Behavioral/Social Learning Approach