The Spark for Success: Balance for the Locus of Control
Comparing two different types of people in terms of success based on experiments: internal locus of control and external locus of control
People consider the good or bad things that happen to them in two opposite parts. People who stay in the first endpoint think of the cause of them as external power such as destiny, luck, coincidence, etc.
Such people who tend to attribute the events they experience to external forces are defined as external locus of control. The second part is more sensible compared to them. They believe that the results of something are the cause of their responsibilities or their own behaviors.
Such people are defined as internal locus of control. For example, let’s think about the reaction of two different sides to a rejected job interview. The external locus of control part would think that: I did my best and if this job were suitable for me, I would work there, that’s the destiny.
On the other hand, the internal locus of control part would think that: If I were sufficient for this job position, I would work there, the cause of the rejection totally belongs to me. When we consider the subject from a psychological point of view, it is seen that the external locus of control part approach with a more positive perspective compared to the internal locus of control part. Let’s deep dive into the topic with scientific researches.
Studies reveal that individuals with the different locus of control approach make different references to the sources of the situations they experience and the problems they encounter in areas such as business life, academic life, and the environment.
While individuals with an internal locus of control believe that their actions will create change, individuals with an external locus of control believe that change can be created not by their own actions, but by stronger others.
In a study on environmental degradation, it is pointed out that people take preventive measures only when they believe that it is within their control to prevent such environmental degradation.
In line with this information, it can be argued that individuals with an external locus of control have a lower tendency to act to protect and protect the environment.
Indeed, in a study conducted on primary school students, locus of control predicted environmental behavior; In another study, it was observed that students with a high internal locus of control learned more about the environment and took more elective science courses (such as energy-saving and recycling) to increase their environmental knowledge compared to students with an external locus of control.
Our perception of locus of control has a huge impact on whether we are motivated or not according to research from an experiment Claudia Mueller, a professor at Stanford University, conducted on children.
The experimental setup consists of two groups of children. These children are given various puzzle toys and expected to solve them. At the end of the first stage, the achievements of both groups are similar.
The first group is suggested to be intelligent as the reason for their success and this expression is presented to children. The second group is shown to be hardworking as the reason for the same success and it is instilled in these children.
In the second stage of the experiment, the same two groups are given more challenging puzzles. After a while, children who are convinced that they are successful because they are smart to give up trying. After all, intelligence is not a phenomenon in their hands or not about their capacities. Intelligence is heritage.
The children in the second group, on the other hand, do not give up trying even though they have difficulties while solving the same puzzles. Because the feature that led them to success before was being hardworking and it is in their hands to work harder. At the end of the experiment, those who are “hardworking”, that is, those who connect success and failure to their own locus of control, succeed.
In a nutshell, believe in your capacity to change your life and start now. Meanwhile, don’t push too much to keep your mental health. The balance should be your own.
