4 Reflection Blog: Locus of Control Name OBLD 511 Organizational Leadership School

4

Reflection Blog: Locus of Control

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OBLD 511 Organizational Leadership

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Locus of Control

My favorite poem is Invictus by William Ernest Henley, and the line I like most in the poem is the last stanza, where the poet writes, “…I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul” (Malinda, 2018). I believe that I have an internal locus of control. These lines represent my locus of control in significant and outstanding ways. Banerjee et al. (2022) define the locus of control as the degree to which an individual perceives events in their life due to their conduct or external influences. It is mainly applied by people to justify the factors influencing outcomes and events occurring in their lives.

According to Nießen et al. (2022), people who believe events occurring in their lives result from their actions embody an internal locus of control. However, those with an external locus of control perceive events happening in their lives to be a product of external factors such as faith, fate, chance, or environment (Gore et al., 2016). With an internal locus of control, one believes they have optimum control over their lives. On the other hand, external control influences people to think they lack control over their lives.

The locus of control is often perceived as innate. It was developed by a personality theorist that developed the cognitive, social learning theory (PsychReel, 2022). Therefore, it has a high correlation to personality. The theorist elucidates that the locus of control is inborn, which is probably why people can grow under similar conditions but have varying personalities. Evidence also indicates a high likelihood that external factors such as parental interactions can influence the locus of control. PsychReel (2022) argues that social and cognitive factors influence how our personalities develop. The things we learn from our environment and social settings largely influence our personality traits. For instance, I believe that my parents taught me how to be independent at an early age has influenced my internal locus of control. As indicated by Türk-Kurtça and Kocatürk (2020), internally controlled people are usually independent and can withstand life pressure. Parents who teach their children to relate actions to consequences help nurture a strong internal locus of control (PsychReel, 2022). It is likely true because I frequently find myself weighing the benefits and drawbacks of actions before making decisions, a move that has paid off by allowing me to make informed decisions. It has also enabled me to avoid engaging in activities that are harmful to my well-being.

An internal locus of control creates an inner belief that life lies in one’s hands and instills the drive that we hold the keys to our fate. Such self-belief influences behaviours, determination, and attitudes towards events in our lives. Nießen et al. (2022) argue that the type of locus control that one has determines their satisfaction, well-being, outcomes, and behavior. It explains why people with an internal locus of control are assertive decision makers and take responsibility for their actions and behavior. In contrast, those with an external locus of control leave such aspects to factors such as fate. Internal self-efficacy helps individuals to attain self-efficacy and confidence in their actions.

There is an existing link between the internal locus of control and factors such as interpersonal trust, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and well-being (Nießen et al., 2022). Research indicates that as the perception of internal locus of control advances in a person, the individual is likely to feel more resilient (Türk-Kurtça & Kocatürk, 2020). One is better off if they have a locus control that pushes them to hold strong self-confidence. It propels them to believe they can do anything in life as long as they set their minds to it. I would then confidently attribute my confidence to my inner locus of control, which makes me strongly believe in the words of William Ernest that there cannot be any other master of my fate but myself.

References

Banerjee, A., Sheth, H., Agarwal, A., & Chakraborty, A. (2022). Relationship between COVID-19 Anxiety, Locus of Control and Psychological Well-being. Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, 13(2).

Gore, J. S., Griffin, D. P., & McNierney, D. (2016). Does internal or external locus of control have a stronger link to mental and physical health? Psychological Studies, 61(3), 181-196.

Malinda, A. (2018). An Analysis on William Ernest Henley’ s Invictus. LUNAR: Journal of Language and Art, 2(01), 16-29.

Nießen, D., Schmidt, I., Groskurth, K., Rammstedt, B., & Lechner, C. M. (2022). The Internal–External Locus of Control Short Scale–4 (IE-4): A comprehensive validation of the English-language adaptation. PloS one, 17(7), e0271289.

PsychReel. (2022, January 3). Locus of control (Meaning and significance). https://psychreel.com/locus-of-control

Türk-Kurtça, T., & Kocatürk, M. (2020). The role of childhood traumas, emotional self-efficacy, and internal-external locus of control in predicting psychological resilience. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 8(3), 105-115.