Locus of control is a concept in psychology that describes where you believe the control over events in your life sits. It was introduced by Julian Rotter and has been studied for decades in education, health and work.
Internal vs external
People with an internal locus of control believe that their own effort, decisions and abilities largely determine what happens to them. People with an external locus of control believe outcomes are shaped mostly by luck, fate or other people.
Hanna Levenson later suggested it is useful to separate three beliefs: internality (my own actions), powerful others (people with influence over me) and chance (luck and fate). The IPIP Locus of Control Scale on PsiQ follows this idea.
Why does it matter?
- Motivation and persistence: people who believe effort pays off tend to work harder toward goals.
- Coping with stress: an internal orientation is often linked with active problem-solving, while a strongly external one can go along with feeling helpless.
- Health behaviour: believing that your actions affect your health is linked with taking preventive steps.
Neither extreme is ideal
A very strong internal locus of control can lead to unfair self-blame when things go wrong for reasons you could not control. A very strong external one can reduce effort. Healthy thinking usually recognises both what you can influence and what you cannot.
Can it change?
Yes. Experience, supportive environments, education and therapy can shift how much control you feel you have.
Measure yours
Try our locus of control test, which includes a short internal-external scale and the fuller Levenson-style scale. You may also like the self-esteem test.