Locus of control is defined easiest as the power or control one has over their life and what happens during the course of it.   The Locus of Control questionnaire measures “generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement”.  Scores range from 0-13, and those who score low indicates an internal locus of control.  This means that they believe their own actions determine the rewards they obtain in life.  Meanwhile, those who score high are associated with an external locus of control, which is the opposite of the latter.  These people believe that their own behavior does not matter, and that rewards in their life are outside of their control.

When I took the Locus of Control, I scored a 9.  This seems like a pretty high score to me, considering half of 13 is 6.5.  This means that I lean more towards an external locus of control.  In some ways, I believe that luck has a lot to do with life.  I’ve seen it happen too many times not to believe so.  For instance, I have seen people “luck” into jobs, be given concert tickets, or even a house or car simply because they are in the right place at the right time.  However,  for those of us who aren’t so lucky, we have to work for our rewards, and I am well aware of that.  In my opinion, for the most part, life is an even balance between external and internal locus.  You win some, you lose some, and when you do lose by relying on luck, you move on to the hard work that you’ve accomplished in order to win!

According to the study done by Catherine Gale, entitled “Locus of control at age 10 years and health outcomes and behaviors at age 30 years”, men and women with an internal locus of control have lower mortality rates and a reduced risk of myocardial infection.  They also have a lower risk of anxiety and depression, along with better health overall when self assessed.  In contrast, those with an external orientation reported to suffer from poor health, depression and anxiety, obesity, and stress.  The reason behind this is the fact that these people feel as if they have no control over their life or what happens in it.  Therefore, they are constantly worrying about what tomorrow may bring, or what it may not.  All of the stress of worry causes men and women with an external locus of control to experience health problems.

Because I have an understanding of what I think life is, I do not become stressed over not having control over my life.  Actually, the opposite is true.  I get less stressed by what I cannot control, and exceptionally stressed over what I can control.  For example, what I usually get most stressed out about are money and school.  I have control over both of these factors of my life, but they are what causes me the most problems when it comes to stress.  However,  I have realized what situations I have control over, and which situations that I do not.  By pondering and separating these various instances personally, I like to believe that I have saved myself health problems associated with locus of control, along with a lot of worry, anxiety, and stress.

Take the Locus of Control test here!:http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/LC.html

http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/LocusofControl-intro.html

Gale, Catharine R. PhD; Batty, G David PhD; Deary, Ian J. PhD Locus of Control at Age 10 Years and Health Outcomes and Behaviors at Age 30 Years: The 1970 British Cohort Study. Psychosomatic Medicine. 70(4):397-403, May 2008.