Good day to all! Have you noticed people who blame the government, bad heredity, weather and other people for all troubles? Or vice versa, no matter what happens, all claims are made only to themselves. As if in their power to influence circumstances and so on? This style of attitude to different events, depending on the orientation, is called internal or external locus of control. And it is present in absolutely every person. Today we will consider each of the types in more detail in order to learn how to objectively evaluate both our capabilities and external factors that do not depend on us.
General information
In the article about the main types of temperament, we have already met with such concepts as extrovert and introvert. Accordingly, such a definition as external (external) and internal (internal) should be more or less clear to you. This locus of control plays a significant role in our lives because it influences relationships, success, health, career, and perception of the world in general. It is formed from childhood, in the process of socialization, and a uniform type of response manifests itself in different areas of activity.
Although a purely expressed orientation to circumstances does not exist, besides, it can change throughout life, especially if a person is engaged in self-development. The economy and legal protection of the individual also play a huge role in the formation. Although the parental attitude has the greatest influence on the ability to take responsibility.
For example, if a child is shown love, recognized, instilled the habit of being responsible for himself and his actions, then it is unlikely that at an older age he will behave quite the opposite. But the kid, whose parents were authoritarian and completely inconsistent, rarely praised, preferring to express only their dissatisfaction, sometimes you don’t know what to expect, either punishment or encouragement — there is little chance of having an internal locus of control.
Types
External (external)
It is typical for people who are more compliant, tend to succumb to influence and pressure. They perform and perform best when they are observed or filmed. In a sense, externalists can be called fatalists, since they give responsibility for the quality of their lives to fate, having little faith in their own strength and ability to influence events. If they fail, then for a while they can “lay low”, coping with the feelings that have arisen, and not feeling the desire to be active. Whereas when successful they are very motivated and inspired.
Such individuals, when planning their activities, tend to set goals that do not correspond to their capabilities. In case of failure, they are not able to understand their mistake in the unreality of the task. They are more anxious, and often act under the influence of emotions, so others sometimes do not understand what they can expect from them. More often they come into conflicts, need communication, hard living loneliness, because of which they fall into dependent relationships.
According to statistics, externals make up a higher percentage of suicides. Often the situation is allowed to take its course, they do not take responsibility for finding a solution or information. For example, people with an external locus of control when a serious illness occurs, in addition to being upset, ask the only question: “Why am I doing this?”. What is found most often in the last stages, since they are rarely examined for the purpose of prevention. While the internal will look for information about the disease that has arisen, possible treatments and consult with different specialists in order to consider the situation from different angles, listening to different opinions.
Internal (internal)
The psychology of such a person is more focused on successful activity than that of the previous species. Since he understands that his health, relationships, and career depend on him. In case of failures and difficulties, he does not give up, but looks for solutions, taking new attempts and steps. They do not succumb to the pressure of others, and they value their freedom above all else. Therefore, when trying to manipulate them, they will resist and aggressively defend their borders. They are more successful and productive when they work alone.
They are socially active, well aware of the norms of behavior, their rights, and other nuances, since they rely only on their knowledge and resources, believing that they should be aware of everything that directly concerns their life. It is believed that the inner type is more popular in society, as it is more positive, self-confident and more conscious, that is, it understands what it does and why, and at the same time does not blame others for its failures.
Consistent in his actions, emotionally stable. It has a very valuable quality — the ability not to go «on the occasion» of a momentary desire, that is, it restrains itself if there is a need to wait in order to realize a more significant goal. Sometimes it happens when the level of internality is too high, a person “goes too far” in terms of self-accusation and self-flagellation, because it is not always possible to control events, which he is diligently trying to do. In this case, too high a level of tension causes psychological instability, and also affects health, causing a number of psychosomatic diseases.
Conclusion
As you understand, the balance is very important, which must be strived for by reasonably distributing the level of responsibility. Develop a realistic perception, for example, by examining the causes of failure, asking yourself if you could have influenced what happened or not? Not setting high standards in relation to their capabilities and not running into an accusatory position. If, after reading the description, you could not identify yourself to some kind, you can take a questionnaire by Julian Rotter, who identified types of responses to different areas of human life. It is easy to find it on the Internet.
I am updating the article, as a test has been released on the blog to determine your locus of control, here is the link.
I recommend reading the article on how to defend your rights, perhaps it will also be useful to you.
And that’s all for today, dear readers! Work on yourself, develop, change your locus of control if necessary, and you will succeed! My blog can help you with this. Subscribe to updates and you will receive the best blog articles in your mail. See you soon.