Locus Of Control Test
Locus Of Control
4402 Organizational Behavior
University of the People
Instructor: Edith Koopmans
Complete the Locus of control test found at the following URL: http://www.queendom.com/tests/ access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=704 Considering the score that you receive after completing the Locus of control test, prepare an essay that defines locus of control, describes what your locus of control score means and details the impact that you believe your locus of control will have on your success in this degree program. Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 2
Are you in control of your destiny or was your fate predestined at birth? When you get a promotion, win a game, or have a bad day, to what do you ascribe these occurrences and their
outcomes. …show more content…
Answers to these questions indicate much about your outlook on life and have been researched and connected to unexpected subjects; such as personal power and political orientation; worldview and success.
We will start by discussing what locus of control is, then will look at some of its surprising relationships, Then we will discuss what my personal locus of control is and how it affects my college education. We will conclude having hopefully sparked your interest in both locus of control specifically and personal perspectives more broadly. In personality psychology core self-evaluation is a central idea consisting of the four key dimensions of personal appraisal. It is comprised of four facets: neuroticism, self-efficacy, selfesteem, and locus of control. Locus of control refers to how much control an individual feels they have over their life; as opposed to an outside power’s impact. People with a high internal locus of control feel that they hold primary sway of their love life, career, health, and outcomes of life events. On the other hand, People with high external locus of control feel that luck, family members, government, or other external powers hold dominance over their lives. Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 3
Locus of control has many interesting implications. For instance, locus of control
has been linked to political ideology. In 1972 and again in 2011 studies done around the U.S.
Presidential election found that: “those with an internal locus of control were substantially more likely to register as a Republican, while those with an external locus of control were significantly more likely to register as a Democrat.” (Laverghetta, 2011) A health related locus of control scale created by Dr. Hanna Levenson indicates that an individual’s attitude on health may be attributed to three sources: internal factors (such as one’s choice of a healthy lifestyle), powerful outsiders
(such as one's doctor) or luck. What effect these attitudes have on actual health is better predicted if studied in conjunction with health value: the value people attach to their health. When tested together these two factors, health value and locus of control, show a strong relationship with individual health outcomes. (Weiss and Larsen, 1990) These studies and others spark interesting questions such as: To what degree are we controlled by our outlook? Can we change our locus of control? From whence does locus of control originate: family, life experience, culture?
On taking the locus of control and attributional style test, my results indicated that I have a mixed attribution style when it comes to locus of control. Sometimes I interpret my success as a result of my abilities, intelligence, nature, etc. Other times, I attribute it to external factors, such as luck, ease of undertaking, or other people's help. The upshot is that I don't always take the credit I deserve. According to the results, I learned: “Your self-esteem, motivation, and general well-being would most likely be improved if you realized that you actively influence positive events in your life.” (Psychology Today, 2016)
Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 4
How does my locus of control impact my future as a student, and my success in this degree program? That choice is up to me: During the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Whyte (an American higher education administrator, teacher, and educational researcher) correlated locus of control with the academic success of students enrolled in higher-education courses. Students who were more internally governed (believed that hard work and focus would result in successful academic progress) performed better academically. Those students who were identified as more externally controlled (believing that their future depended upon luck or fate) tended to have lower academic performance levels. (Whyte, 1977) I plan to remember that I am in control of succeeding and getting my degree while also giving myself room to remember that outside factors such as stress and workload can affect my performance. How you see yourself in relation to the world around you and to what you attribute your successes and failures plays a massive role in how you actually fair in the world. Locus of control is the way psychologists think about your self-evaluation. However, you think about yourself consider this a new way to evaluate success and failure. Look at the people around you and see if you can sense their outlook and see how that plays out in their actions. “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.” - Marcus Aurelius
Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 5
References
Watterson, B. (n.d.) Calvin and Hobbes. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http://
3.bp.blogspot.com/-WiQJkoBsc5k/VS1awXe43II/AAAAAAAAAEk/DECsCRmSUEk/
s1600/97c233e1656764e7cd89fbe2a9ee5943.jpg
Judge, T. A.; Locke, E. A.; Durham, C. C. (1997). "The dispositional causes of job satisfaction: A core evaluations approach". Research in Organizational Behavior. 19: 151–188.
Laverghetta, A. (Nov. 2011). The Relationship between the Big 5 Personality factors, Locus of
Control, and Political Ideology. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Oklahoma Research
Day, Cameron University, Lawton, OK. Retrieved from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/ p556976_index.html Whyte, C. B. (1977). High-risk college freshman and locus of control. The Humanist Educator.
16 (1): 2–5. doi:10.1002/j.2164-6163.1977.tb00177.x. unknown artist. (n.d.) Locus of Control. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http:// madl.s3.amazonaws.com/images/locus-of-control.jpg Psychology Today. (2016). Locus Of Control & Attributional Style Test. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/bin/transfer
Aurelius, M. (n.d.). Meditations. Book 4 part III. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/
2680/2680-h/2680-h.htm#link2H_4_0053
unknown photographer. (n.d.) Who decides image [digital image] Retrieved from http://
www.tranceform.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Locus-of-Control-which-direction-do-yougo.jpg
4402 Organizational Behavior
University of the People
Instructor: Edith Koopmans
Complete the Locus of control test found at the following URL: http://www.queendom.com/tests/ access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=704 Considering the score that you receive after completing the Locus of control test, prepare an essay that defines locus of control, describes what your locus of control score means and details the impact that you believe your locus of control will have on your success in this degree program. Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 2
Are you in control of your destiny or was your fate predestined at birth? When you get a promotion, win a game, or have a bad day, to what do you ascribe these occurrences and their
outcomes. …show more content…
Answers to these questions indicate much about your outlook on life and have been researched and connected to unexpected subjects; such as personal power and political orientation; worldview and success.
We will start by discussing what locus of control is, then will look at some of its surprising relationships, Then we will discuss what my personal locus of control is and how it affects my college education. We will conclude having hopefully sparked your interest in both locus of control specifically and personal perspectives more broadly. In personality psychology core self-evaluation is a central idea consisting of the four key dimensions of personal appraisal. It is comprised of four facets: neuroticism, self-efficacy, selfesteem, and locus of control. Locus of control refers to how much control an individual feels they have over their life; as opposed to an outside power’s impact. People with a high internal locus of control feel that they hold primary sway of their love life, career, health, and outcomes of life events. On the other hand, People with high external locus of control feel that luck, family members, government, or other external powers hold dominance over their lives. Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 3
Locus of control has many interesting implications. For instance, locus of control
has been linked to political ideology. In 1972 and again in 2011 studies done around the U.S.
Presidential election found that: “those with an internal locus of control were substantially more likely to register as a Republican, while those with an external locus of control were significantly more likely to register as a Democrat.” (Laverghetta, 2011) A health related locus of control scale created by Dr. Hanna Levenson indicates that an individual’s attitude on health may be attributed to three sources: internal factors (such as one’s choice of a healthy lifestyle), powerful outsiders
(such as one's doctor) or luck. What effect these attitudes have on actual health is better predicted if studied in conjunction with health value: the value people attach to their health. When tested together these two factors, health value and locus of control, show a strong relationship with individual health outcomes. (Weiss and Larsen, 1990) These studies and others spark interesting questions such as: To what degree are we controlled by our outlook? Can we change our locus of control? From whence does locus of control originate: family, life experience, culture?
On taking the locus of control and attributional style test, my results indicated that I have a mixed attribution style when it comes to locus of control. Sometimes I interpret my success as a result of my abilities, intelligence, nature, etc. Other times, I attribute it to external factors, such as luck, ease of undertaking, or other people's help. The upshot is that I don't always take the credit I deserve. According to the results, I learned: “Your self-esteem, motivation, and general well-being would most likely be improved if you realized that you actively influence positive events in your life.” (Psychology Today, 2016)
Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 4
How does my locus of control impact my future as a student, and my success in this degree program? That choice is up to me: During the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Whyte (an American higher education administrator, teacher, and educational researcher) correlated locus of control with the academic success of students enrolled in higher-education courses. Students who were more internally governed (believed that hard work and focus would result in successful academic progress) performed better academically. Those students who were identified as more externally controlled (believing that their future depended upon luck or fate) tended to have lower academic performance levels. (Whyte, 1977) I plan to remember that I am in control of succeeding and getting my degree while also giving myself room to remember that outside factors such as stress and workload can affect my performance. How you see yourself in relation to the world around you and to what you attribute your successes and failures plays a massive role in how you actually fair in the world. Locus of control is the way psychologists think about your self-evaluation. However, you think about yourself consider this a new way to evaluate success and failure. Look at the people around you and see if you can sense their outlook and see how that plays out in their actions. “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.” - Marcus Aurelius
Running Head: LOCUS OF CONTROL Page 5
References
Watterson, B. (n.d.) Calvin and Hobbes. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http://
3.bp.blogspot.com/-WiQJkoBsc5k/VS1awXe43II/AAAAAAAAAEk/DECsCRmSUEk/
s1600/97c233e1656764e7cd89fbe2a9ee5943.jpg
Judge, T. A.; Locke, E. A.; Durham, C. C. (1997). "The dispositional causes of job satisfaction: A core evaluations approach". Research in Organizational Behavior. 19: 151–188.
Laverghetta, A. (Nov. 2011). The Relationship between the Big 5 Personality factors, Locus of
Control, and Political Ideology. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Oklahoma Research
Day, Cameron University, Lawton, OK. Retrieved from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/ p556976_index.html Whyte, C. B. (1977). High-risk college freshman and locus of control. The Humanist Educator.
16 (1): 2–5. doi:10.1002/j.2164-6163.1977.tb00177.x. unknown artist. (n.d.) Locus of Control. [Digital Image]. Retrieved from http:// madl.s3.amazonaws.com/images/locus-of-control.jpg Psychology Today. (2016). Locus Of Control & Attributional Style Test. Psychology Today.
Retrieved from http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/bin/transfer
Aurelius, M. (n.d.). Meditations. Book 4 part III. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/
2680/2680-h/2680-h.htm#link2H_4_0053
unknown photographer. (n.d.) Who decides image [digital image] Retrieved from http://
www.tranceform.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Locus-of-Control-which-direction-do-yougo.jpg