How Your "Locus of Control" Affects Your Life
“Psychologists generally agree that, although our locus of control is largely established through experiences of reward and punishment when we are children, it is a flexible construct that can change throughout our life. However, not much research has been done on targeted interventions to change one's locus of control. Even so, we can notice how our locus of control may affect our life, and we can strive to reduce any negative effects it may have.
Here are a few strategies to make sure your locus of control doesn’t get in your way:
1. Practice accountability. When something happens—good or bad—step back and think through what part you played in it. Identify both the contributing external and internal forces.
2. Catch external-oriented thoughts and challenge them. When you find yourself blaming something bad on external forces or crediting luck for your success, be mindful of the stories you’re telling yourself and reassess your own role in these outcomes.
3. Avoid black-and-white thinking. You hardly ever have zero control over what happens. Open your mind to the gray areas in every situation.
4. Write it out. Writing can be a great way to see your thoughts a little more objectively. If you can do a brain dump on paper, you can get a clearer picture of how you think about a situation, which can help in practicing all of the above strategies.
5. Change your mindset. While locus of control interventions haven’t been well studied, mindset interventions have, and there is a lot of overlap between the two. Learn about and cultivate a growth mindset to improve self-agency, motivation, and resilience.
Key Points
- People with an external locus of control believe that forces outside them are responsible for the events in their life.
- Those with an internal locus of control believe that their personal decisions and efforts guide much of their lives.
- Wherever you fall on the spectrum, you may benefit from understanding your own orientation and how it may shape your behavior. ”
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whole article at Psychology Today
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💬 Do you have a more external or internal locus of control?
@globalBraid3744 Thank you! I have more of an internal locus of control. I think that my decisions guide my life. Although there are times when I don't think of external things that help me with my achievements. However,I don't blame external things for my faults.
@pioneeringPlane5536
It seems like you have the right balance - you feel responsible for your achievements and hard work while accepting the situation and the consequences when things do not go as planned. It is good you could also identify that sometimes you might benefit from recognizing when there is something external that can help you succeed.