locus of control

• who proposed the locus of control?

  Rotter 1966
• what does locus of control mean?


  the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives.
• what are the 2 types of LOC?


  internal and external
• what is an internal locus of control?


  they believe that things happen to them are controlled by themselves
• what is an external locus of control?


  where you believe that things that happen to you are out of your control
• what is the LOC continuum?


  some people not just internal or external. it is a scale and individuals vary in their position. high internal LOC is on one end and high external is on the other, in between low internal and low external lie.
• what is resistance to social influence?


  people with a high internal LOC are more able to resist pressures to conform or obey, as they are more confident normally and base their decisions based on their own beliefs.
• a strength of LOC is that there is evidence to support the link between LOC and resistance to obediance. holland 1967 repeated milgrams base study and measured whether participants were internals or externals. 37% of internals didnt continue to the highest shock levels, whereas, 23% of externals did not. internals showed greater resistance.
• one limitation is that there is evidence that challenges the link between LOC and resistance. twenge et al. 2004 analysed data from american LOC studies over 40 year period. people became more resistant but more external. suggest its not a valid explanation of how people resist social influence.