People tend to fall into one of two categories: those who hold to the belief that life is there and they’re just going to live in it and those who embrace life and believe they can change it, improve it, and make their mark upon it. There are those who feel as though they are a passive recipient of life and those who believe that they can impact the world around them. A person’s sense of agency over their life can impact every aspect of one’s being including health, relationships and life satisfaction.
One of the most widely studied concepts in the history of personality psychology is locus of control. Locus of control is simply an individual’s belief system regarding the causes of his or her experiences and the factors to which that person attributes success or failure. Unsurprisingly, research suggests that a major influencer in a person’s locus of control is how they were parented. Children raised by parents who encouraged their independence and helped them to learn the connection between actions and their consequences tended to have a more well developed internal locus of control.
Individuals with a strong external locus of control tend to:
Feel victimized
Blame others
Think pessimistically – the glass is half empty
Focus on “what if” scenarios
Have difficulty bouncing back from challenges and failures
Get stuck
Their perception of not being in control often leaves them depressed and sapped of resiliency. They are apt to say “Why bother? It doesn’t matter anyway.”
Individuals with a strong internal locus of control tend to:
Think optimistically – the glass is half full
Expect life’s ups and downs
Demonstrate resilience and recover more quickly from set-backs
Accept responsibility for their own happiness
Explore possible solutions
They believe that outcomes are contingent on their own actions and effort rather than unfair circumstances and things beyond their control. They believe they are in control of their own destiny.
Changing from external to internal locus of control:
(1) Watch your language: Using absolute language like “there’s nothing I can do” or “I have no choice” makes it really hard to tap into a sense of agency over one’s own life. Using terminal language reinforces the belief that one has no control when in most cases, that is simply not true. It may seem small but the words we use matter. Adopting language that opens up and acknowledges alternative outcomes is an important part of strengthening a sense of agency in one’s life.
(2) Engage in planned risk-taking: Research shows that one of the most significant factors in shifting locus of control is the extent to which an individual is willing to take risks, specifically through adventure-based activities. These types of experiences allow you to learn to regulate your own behavior and to view uncertainty as a challenge and not a threat.
(3) Work on failing gracefully: If you’re human, failing is inevitable. When we fear failure, we become less willing to take on risk and as a result, we lose resiliency. Part of developing a healthy internal locus of control requires accepting that not everything is within our control; that failure is an inherent part of being human; and is almost always survivable.
(4) Be accountable: Individuals with a strong internal locus of control take responsibility for themselves regardless of external factors that may be beyond their control. Find strength through vulnerability by fostering authenticity in your relationships. Talk about what you can be doing differently to live a better life with those closest to you.
(6) Get inspired: Every day, in all corners of the world, there are people overcoming adversity and doing amazing things; and they are no different from you. Look for them. Read their stories. Watch their movies and YouTube videos. Practice opening up your world by saying yes to opportunities even though your tendency would be to come up with excuses as to why you should say no.
Understanding how locus of control impacts your life is important. More important is understanding that locus of control is not a fixed characteristic but rather a dynamic concept that can change over time. Follow this link for a quick screening tool to help you understand where you currently fall between internal and external locus of control.