Locus of control
Document Type
Encyclopedia entry
Source Publication
Encyclopedia of industrial and organizational psychology
Publication Date
1-1-2007
Volume
1
First Page
461
Last Page
462
Publisher
SAGE
Abstract
Locus of control is a personality variable that reflects a person's general beliefs about whether he or she is in control or whether external forces are in control. Individuals who believe they are in control arc called internals, whereas people who believe that external forces (luck, fate, or powerful others) are in control arc called externals.
Studies of locus of control originate from the field of social psychology - specifically within the framework of social learning theory developed by J. B. Rotter (1954, 1966). The concept of locus of control addresses assumptions about one's responsibility for good or bad events. Internals attribute events in their lives to their own actions, motivations, or competencies, whereas externals attribute events to outside forces such as luck, chance, or powerful others.
Additional Information
ISBN of the source publication: 9781412924702
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Siu, O.-L. (2007). Locus of control. In S. G. Rogelberg (Ed.), Encyclopedia of industrial and organizational psychology (Vol. 1) (pp. 461-462). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.