Locus of Control: Beliefs About Your Ability to Determine Your Own Outcomes
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Understanding the Locus of Control
Although the Locus of Control sounds rather technical, it is in fact a rather straightforward concept which was developed by Julian Rotter in 1954 and has stood the 'test of time' in terms of being persistently shown to be a valid 'construct'.
This concept is also associated with Attribution Theory.
It is a 'measure' of how much 'power' (or influence) you believe you have over the path of your life, or the outcomes in your life.
Your Locus of Control is either 'internal', 'external' or at some point in between the these two extremes.
If you have in 'external' Locus of Control then you will tend to believe that:
Life is something that HAPPENS to you over which you have little ability to control or change things
If you have an 'internal' Locus of Control you will tend to believe that:
Life is what you MAKE IT and that you decide the path of your life and are able to control and change things
What research shows, is that people who have an internal Locus of Control tend to be happier, more successful and less likely to suffer from mental health problems.
You can read much more about the Locus of Control and Rotter's original research here.
Are you more external than internal when it come to attributing causality?
Learn How To Develop a More 'Internal' Perspective
It doesn't really matter how 'external' your LOC is at the moment, the key point is that you CAN learn how to change your Locus of Control using the proven tools and techniques that we deliver in the Tranceformental CBT Programme, and by doing so, you can take control of aspects of your life that you previously didn't believe you could!
Below are examples of both internal and external beliefs
Internal LOC
- I failed my driving test because I made an error
- I can beat my phobia of flying if I try hard enough
- Other people's opinions are valid but do not affect my life
- If I wanted to run a marathon and trained enough I could do it
- Things that happened to me in the past are gone and have no influence now
External LOC
- I failed my driving test because the examiner didn't like me
- Phobias can never be changed, just learnt to live with
- Other people's opinions significantly affect my life
- I could never run a marathon, I'd never get fit enough
- Things that happened to me in the past continue to dominate my life everday
Mental Health Barriers: Obstacles to Wellness
Mental health barriers are those factors in lfe that prevent people from experiencing high degrees of wellbeing and overall wellness.
Some of these barriers are common across all human beings and others are culturally, socially or age specific.
Resilience: the Ability to Bounce-Back
Resilience is a person’s ability to ‘bounce-back’ from problems, difficulties and life challenges.
In life we can all expect to have our fair share of difficult times, for example when losing a loved one or when suffering ill health.
Everybody has a different level of resilience and….
Social Pressure: The Power of Cultural Rules & Regulations
Social pressure is the ‘power’ that influences how people behave in any given social or cultural setting according to the rules and regulations of that particular social context.
It includes the idea that what other people and social groups might think about YOU is ‘incredibly important’ which can have a direct impact on the way that you feel.