What is internal or external locus of control?

Definition of locus of control. it’s considered to be an important personality trait which affects our judgments and perception. The concept of locus of control was created by Julian B. Rotter in 1954.

Definition of Locus of Control

Locus of control is where we attribute the cause of things that happen to us.

Do you believe that you are in control of your own life and the things that happen to you? (internal locus of control), or do you belief that your life is controlled by external forces and heavily influenced by other people? (external locus of control).

If something good or positive happens to us, do we credit ourselves for that success, or do we attribute that success to other people? The flip side of this is the negative and bad things in our lives. Do we blame other people, or do we blame ourselves? This can relate to do we take responsibility for our actions.

Locus of control is the way we look at things generally rather than an extreme way of thinking. Certain situations and events need to be taken into account individually. If a person believes that they control everything in their lives or everything around them, also if a person believes that they have no control over anything in their life, no power of influence whatsoever. This could be considered, unbalanced, delusional and unhealthy thinking.

Internal or external locus of control, is one better?

The majority of successful people, such as entrepreneurs and people who had to work hard to achieve success tend to have more of an internal locus of control. These people tend to believe that their success is determined by things like, how hard they work. They have belief in their own abilities regardless of what anybody else may think, or any other form of external situation or influence.

Sometimes other people like to place limitations on others if they believe they cannot achieve something themselves, or they’re unwilling to put in the required effort themselves. Those who have an internal locus of control are less likely to be affected by negative beliefs and opinions.

Sometimes caring too much about what others think can be limiting and distracting if you let it control you. Feedback from other people, even negative feedback can be very useful if it’s constructive and objective. So sometimes it’s good to listen. However, if their opinions are just subjective nonsense, it may be best to simply ignore it and to trust yourself. This is when an internal locus of control really has an advantage.

An internal locus of control allows you to focus on a goal without the distraction of those who may look to hold you back, even if it’s unintentional.