Internal-External Control and Ideology

Abstract

It was hypothesized that internal Ss would agree more with ideologies which emphasize the importance of self-determination of behavior, whereas external Ss would agree more with ideologies which emphasize the importance of social determination of behavior. Internals scored significantly higher on the traditional American ideology scale, whereas externals scored significantly higher on the New Left scale and one assessing a political philosophy of conservatism. These significant results ( p < .02) for college students supported the hypothesis. The implications for perception and understanding social problems were discussed.

Locus of Control

“…Rotter (1975) warned clinicians to not assume that individuals with an internal LOC will possess only positive traits. Despite that caution, according to researchers Fink and Hjelle (1973) internal LOC indeed became exalted since it reflected the Western cultural ideals of personal autonomy and industriousness. As a result, some experts came to view the research on LOC as biased by the assumption that an internal LOC is more functional than an external LOC (Fink & Hjelle, 1973).…”

“…Despite that caution, according to researchers Fink and Hjelle (1973) internal LOC indeed became exalted since it reflected the Western cultural ideals of personal autonomy and industriousness. As a result, some experts came to view the research on LOC as biased by the assumption that an internal LOC is more functional than an external LOC (Fink & Hjelle, 1973). The LOC research, culturally biased though it may be, has shown that internal LOC is associated not only with better mental health but also with better job performance and life satisfaction (Marks, 1998).…”

Deconstructing Locus of Control: Implications for Practitioners

“…It is an ethic of individual effort and has little if anything to say about external, structural impediments to achievement" (Sampson, 1983, p. 135). Indeed, researchers have shown internality to be related to the Protestant ethic and traditional American values (Fink & Hjelle, 1973;Mirels & Garrett, 1971;Rotter, 1975). This bias is resounded in Lefcourt's (1982) assertion, "Man must come to be more effective and more able to perceive himself as the determiner of his fate if he is to live comfortably with himself" (p. 3).…”

Sphere-specific measures of perceived control.

“…Consequently, Thomas (1970) could argue that the leftist flavor of the external alternatives led to a spurious correlation of activism with externality. Alternatively, Fink and Hjelle (1973) argued that externals are attracted to ideologies that emphasize the importance of societal determination of behavior, whereas internals prefer ideologies emphasizing self-determination. Because campus activist groups generally held left-wing views that emphasize societal determination, externals would be attracted to them.…”