Locus of Control

Abstract

Locus of control is the internal sense that individuals have regarding the extent to which they are capable of making their own choices and viewing the consequences as stemming from those choices. The term locus derives from the Latin referring to location or place. If individuals believe that they are in control of their lives, then the locus lies internally. If individuals believe that fate, other people, environment, or higher authority control their lives, the locus of control lies externally. Individuals who possess a high internal locus of control believe they can control events in their lives – that they are in the “driver's seat.” The concept of locus of control was originally developed by Julian Rotter in the 1950s and became a popular explanatory construct in the areas of personality psychology and motivation.