Locus of control Flashcards
What is locus of control?
The sense we each have about what directs events in our lives
How do individuals with an internal locus of control perceive themselves?
As having a great deal of personal control over their behaviour and are therefore more likely to take responsibility for the way they behave
How do individuals with an external locus of control perceive their behaviours?
As being a result of external influences or luck
How can locus of control be described?
As a continuum. People differ in the way they explain their successes and failures; it is not always as simple as internal or external.
What (internal/external) is more likely to resist social influence?
Internal
What are some characteristics of people with an ILOC?
Self confident
Achievement oriented
High intelligence
Less need for social approval
Who replicated Milgram’s (1963) study and additionally assessed whether each had an internal or external locus of control?
Holland (1967)
What did Holland find?
37% of ILOC participants did not continue to the highest shock level whereas just 23% of ELOC did not
What did Twenge (2004) do?
Studied data from over four decades worth of American obedience studies
What did Twenge (2004) find?
As time progressed participants became more resistant to authority but also more external in the LOC.
Why is the role of the LOC possibly exaggerated?
It only comes into play in novel situations for which we don’t have a schema. It is thought that people who have conformed or obeyed in a certain situation in the past are likely to do so again regardless of LOC.
