Personality - 10 Flashcards
What is Rotters theory of locus of control about
Looks at amount or Control you think you have on aspects of your life
A generalised expectancy about the degree to which we control our outcomes
What does the locus of control refer to
Locus of control refers to our individual views of the source for outcomes of life
Refers to our personal attribution system for why events occur
Refers to how much responsibility we take for what happens to us
What are the two aspects of locus of control
Internal locus of control : attribute the outcomes to yourself
External locus of control : attribute outcomes to other things
Describe an individual with an internal locus of control
Feel they have influence and control their outcomes
Their success and failures are determined by there own actions
Destiny is up to them
Accept credit for succes and blame for their failures
Take responsibility
Describe individuals with an external locus of control
Believe that fate, is people more powerful than them determining what happens to them
Believe that their success and failures are covered by external factors such as the system, fate or luck.
Outcomes are out of their control
They take no responsibility for what happens to them
Are individuals either internal or external
It is a continuum along which individuals vary
Thought to be general and specific
How can we measure Locus of control
Via the DLA test, or Rotter locus of control scale
What is norm mean locus of control for college students
- 2 - females
- 8 - males
Sd = 6
The higher your score of locus of control what does this mean
The higher score - more internal - the more you tend to believe that you are generally responsible for what happens to you in personal achievement situations
If dealing with success what locus of control is better
Internal is better - can take credit for your success
If dealing with adversity and failure what locus of control is better
External - can blame set backs on other and on bad luck
What behaviour does an internal locus of control predict
I control the consequences of my behaviour
Predicts better academic achievement Better interpersonal relations Greater efforts to learn Positive attitudes to exercise Lower cigarette smoking Lower hypertension and heart attacks
What behaviour does an eternal locus of control predict
Behaviour outside of thei control
Lower efforts to deal with health
Lower levels of psych adjustment
Greater sense of satisfaction
With reference to academic achievement what do externals do
Make excuses for poor performance and blame other
Basgall and snyder 1988
What are internal locus of control people more likely to do with regards to health
Seek info about possible health problems
Greater tendency to take preventative steps to maintain health
What were the results for external and internal locus of control people and their knowledge of TB
Internal - knew more , reated staff rating of knowledge higher , less satisfied
External - knew less, rated staff rating of knowledge lower, more satisfied
And
What are external more likely to develop with reference to health
External locus of Control, more likely to develop psychological disorders as believe they have No control
How do internal and external people develope ?
Shaped by interactions with others especially parents
Relates to social class - people from disadvantaged homes more likely to be external
What is self efficacy
Refers to a persons perceived be expectations of success
Estimate of ones own ability to perform a task
Belief about our ability to perform behaviours
When self efficacy is high what tends to occur
Confident that we can carry out tasks and we succeed
When self efficacy is low what tends to occur
We worry that the skills needed are beyond our ability
Given appropriate skills and adequate incentives, efficacy expectations are
A major determinant of people’s choice of activities How much effort they will expend How long they will sustain effort in dealing with stressful situations Will they persevere at task Can be situation specific
What are those with high self efficacy more likely to do
Give up smoking or stick to exercise regimes - Schwarzer and fuchs 1995
Have more persistence and effort in study and better academic performance - Zimmerman 1995
Have better athletic performance - Bandura 1990
What determined and individuals sense of self efficacy in a situation
Performance accomplishments - what had happened in the past
Vicarious experiences - observing that they succeed or fail
Verbal persuasion - a respected person argues persuasively that you have the ability
Emotional arousal - high arousal = anxiety and tension = lower feelings of self efficacy
