patients were tested for level of depression (Marks, Richardson, Graham, &
Levine, 1986). For external patients, the more severe the diagnosis, the moredepressed they became. However, the severity of the disease had no impact
on the depression experienced by internal patients. These patients believed
they could still control the course of the disease, and this belief shielded them
from giving up and becoming depressed about their situation. One review
found an average correlation of .31 between locus of control scores and
measures of depression, with external scores associated with higher levels ofdepression (Benassi, Sweeney, & Dufour, 1988). As discussed in Chapter 7,
this is an impressively high correlation.
A dramatic example of how locus of control is related to depression was
demonstrated in a study of suicidal patients (Melges & Weisz, 1971). Patientswho had recently attempted suicide were asked to relive the events that took
place immediately before the attempt. Patients were left alone with a tape re-corder and asked to describe in the present tense what had happened to them
during this time. Analysis of the recordings revealed that patients described
themselves in more external terms as they became more suicidal. Other stud-ies find suicide attempters often experience an increase in events outside their
personal control just prior to the attempt (Slater & Depue, 1981) and that
external adolescents and college students report more suicidal thoughts than
internals (Burger, 1984; Evans, Owens, & Marsh, 2005).
Although studies suggest locus of control is related to depression, we
need to add a few notes of caution when interpreting the findings. First, thevast majority of people scoring on the external end of locus of control scales
are happy and well-adjusted. Second, because the relationship is correla-
tional, it is difficult to make strong statements about external locus of
control causing the disorder. It may be that externals are susceptible to depres-
sion, but it is also possible that depressed people become more external.
Achievement
One indicator of well-being in Western society is how much we achieve in
school and in our careers. Although high achievers are by no means shieldedfrom psychological problems, we often point to a deteriorating job perfor-
mance as a reason for concern. Similarly, improved performance in school or
work is often seen as evidence that a therapy client is getting better. When re-
searchers use locus of control scores to predict achievement, they consistently
find that internal students receive higher grades and better teacher evaluations
than externals (Cappella & Weinstein, 2001; Findley & Cooper, 1983;Kalechstein & Nowicki, 1997). This finding is true of elementary, high
school, and college students, but the relationship is especially strong among
adolescents.
Why do internals do better in school? One reason is that they see them-
selves as being responsible for their achievements. Internal students believestudying for tests pays off, whereas externals are less likely to feel that theirefforts affect their grades. Internals and externals also respond differently to
feedback (Martinez, 1994). Internal students are likely to attribute high test
scores to their abilities or to studying hard, whereas externals who do well404 CHAPTER 14 The Behavioral/Social Learning Approach