Locus of Control (resistance to SI)

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Created by
Ellie

Cards (4)

  • Locus of Control
    Rotter 1966 proposed that people differ on a dimension he called locus of control and that this affects their ability to resist social pressure to conform or obey.
  • External Loc - my consequences are due to other factors
    Internal Loc - my consequences are a result of me
    Internal is most likely to resist social influence as they have a sense of personal responsibility.
  • A limitation of Loc is that it is related to NSI but doesn't explain ISI. Spector found significant correlation between LoC and predisposition to NSI. NSI is a need to fit in,however he found no relationship for predisposition to ISI,the need to be right. This suggests,that the LoC only explains why people may resist conforming through NSI but not ISI. Therefore,suggesting that the LoC is an incomplete explanation of why people resist SI.
  • There is research suggesting that young people are becoming more external. Twenge 2004 conducted a meta-analysis which found young Americans believed their fate was determined more by luck. This suggests that people are becoming external and disobedient making the theory questionable and internals more obedient. Therefore the LoC can be seen as a weak explanation of why people resist SI.