Locus of Control: Who Is Running Your Life? Internal and External Views

What is locus of control and how do internal and external views differ? See how beliefs about responsibility and fate affect wellbeing, and how to balance them.

Imagine two people who receive the same diagnosis, from the same doctor, in the same week: type 2 diabetes. On the way home the first says, "My father had it too, it's genetic. Whatever is written in your fate will happen; there's nothing I can do," and changes nothing. The second spends that night blaming themselves: "It's entirely my fault. How could I have been so weak-willed?" A few weeks later, out of shame, they too put off going back for their check-up. Behind these two reactions lies a concept that psychology calls locus of control: where we see the cause of what happens in our lives. In this article we look at what locus of control is, the characteristics of the internal and external ends, why both ends can be a trap, how it intersects with the understanding of fate and destiny in Turkey, and ways to develop a more balanced view.

What Is Locus of Control?

Locus of control is a person's general tendency to attribute the outcomes of events in their life largely to their own behaviour, or to forces outside themselves, in other words to luck, fate, other people or circumstances. The concept was developed in the 1950s and 60s by the American psychologist Julian Rotter within the framework of social learning theory.

According to Rotter, people stand somewhere between two ends in this respect:

• Internal locus of control: "What happens to me is largely the result of my choices and my effort."
• External locus of control: "What happens to me depends largely on luck, fate, powerful others or circumstances."

There are two important points here. First, this is not a personality label but a spectrum; nobody is entirely internal or entirely external. Second, locus of control can vary by area. A person may think "Those who put in the work succeed" in working life, yet say "Illness comes when it comes" about health. That is why psychology has also developed measures specific to areas such as health, relationships or academic achievement.

Characteristics of the Internal and External Tendencies

These two tendencies are easy to spot in our everyday sentences.

People closer to the internal end tend to speak like this: "I should have prepared better for this exam", "What was my part in this relationship?", "What can I do to change this?" These people:

• Are more inclined to set goals and make plans
• Look for information and research their options
• Review their strategies after a failure
• May be more willing to follow health advice

People closer to the external end, on the other hand, tend to say things like: "It wasn't meant to be", "The ones with connections get ahead", "Whatever I do is pointless", "The teacher has it in for me." These people:

• May stay more passive in the face of events
• May wait for change to come from outside
• Blame themselves less for failure, but may also give themselves little credit for success
• May be more open to feelings of helplessness in uncertain situations

Looking at this picture, it is easy to conclude that the internal tendency is clearly "better". Many studies also show that the internal tendency is associated with motivation and problem-solving. But real life is not that simple.

Which Is Healthier? The Traps at Both Ends

Let us return to the two people at the beginning of the article. The first stands at the external end, the second at an extreme internal end. Both end up in the same place: waiting without changing anything.

The trap of an extreme external view is that the person fails to see even the real area of influence they have. The belief "Whatever I do is pointless" leads to not even trying the things that could be done. Over time this can pave the way for what is known as learned helplessness, in other words giving up effort even in situations that can be controlled. It is also closely linked to low mood.

The trap of an extreme internal view is talked about less, but it is just as wearing. A person who believes everything is in their hands:

• Carries heavy guilt even for events outside their control ("My mother fell ill; I should have noticed sooner")
• Exhausts themselves trying to control things they cannot control
• Sees other people's feelings and behaviour as their own responsibility too
• Struggles to tolerate uncertainty; anxiety and perfectionism increase

This last point is closely related to the pattern described as the need to control everything.

What is healthy is not choosing one of the two ends, but being able to make a realistic assessment depending on the situation. An earthquake is not within a person's control; but preparing an emergency bag, finding out how sound the building is and agreeing a meeting point with the family are within their control. Being made redundant may be a company decision; but new applications, building a network and developing skills are in the person's hands.

The point is not to choose a side, but to be able to answer this question honestly: "What is my part here, and what lies outside me?"

How Does Locus of Control Develop? Fate, Destiny and Connections

Our sense of control is shaped largely by our experiences. A child who sees in childhood that their behaviour leads to consistent consequences learns the feeling "What I do makes a difference." For example, a child who is praised when they do their homework and meets a predictable consequence when they break a rule sees the world as an understandable place.

By contrast, some experiences can strengthen the external tendency:

• Inconsistent parenting: Environments in which the same behaviour is ignored one day and harshly punished the next teach the child that consequences come not from their own behaviour but from the adult's mood.
• Overprotection: A parent who solves every problem for the child may unknowingly send the message, "You can't do it; other people put the world right."
• Events that really are beyond control: Economic crises, disasters, sudden losses and long-term illnesses genuinely shake a person's sense of control. In these situations, an external view is the person reading reality accurately.

Turkey's cultural fabric also holds an important place in this picture. Expressions such as "nasip" and "kısmet" (one's allotted portion or destiny) and "whatever is written on your forehead" are part of everyday language. This understanding is often comforting; it makes acceptance easier in the face of loss and frees people from the burden of being responsible for everything. Believing in fate does not, on its own, mean an unhealthy external orientation; many people of faith both make an effort and accept the outcome, in the spirit of "the precaution is mine, the decree is God's". This is actually a rather balanced view.

Another powerful cultural experience is the perception of "torpil", meaning favouritism through connections. For a young person who feels that trust in merit has been shaken in exam or recruitment processes, the belief "However hard I work, it won't happen" may seem less like a personal distortion than a social observation. This feeling needs to be taken seriously. Even so, this belief begins to cause harm when it also makes invisible the small but real areas of influence the person has.

How Does Your Sense of Control Affect Everyday Life?

In health. After receiving a diagnosis of a chronic illness, a person being able to see their own role in areas such as diet, taking medication as prescribed and exercise can make a difference to the course of the illness. But an extreme internal view can make the illness feel like a personal failure, leading to shame and avoidance.

In working life. An employee who sees their own contribution looks for development opportunities more easily. On the other hand, someone who takes on every negative outcome may burn out, mistaking structural problems for their own inadequacy.

In relationships. The thought "If my partner is in a bad mood, it must be because of me" is an excessively internal sense of responsibility and keeps the person constantly on alert. The thought "That's just how he is; what can I do?", by contrast, prevents them from seeing their own part in the relationship.

In children and teenagers. A teenager who says, "The teacher hates me, that's why my mark is low" may really have been treated unfairly; but they may also be avoiding looking at their study habits. The parent's task is not to decide at once which is true, but to help the young person look at both possibilities.

In the face of social events. Feeling intense helplessness about matters where an individual's influence is very limited, such as elections, economic decisions or the national agenda, is understandable. In these areas a healthy balance involves accepting that you cannot change the big picture while seeing the small contributions you can make in your immediate surroundings, for example in your neighbourhood, at work or in your family. In this way the person neither denies reality nor turns into an entirely passive spectator.

Practical Steps for Balancing Your Sense of Control

1. Listen to your own language. For a week, note the sentences you use after difficult events. Words such as "anyway", "always" and "whatever I do is pointless" may point to the external end; words such as "it's entirely my fault" and "I should have sorted it" may point to the extreme internal end.
2. Draw a responsibility pie. Choose an event that drags you into guilt. Draw a circle and list all the factors that contributed to the event: other people, circumstances, timing, luck, your own actions. Give each a slice of the pie; leave your own share until last. You will often see that your slice is much smaller than you thought.
3. Run a small influence experiment. In an area where you say "Whatever I do is pointless", change one small behaviour for a week and observe the result. For example, walking for twenty minutes every day or sending one job application a day. The aim is not to change your life but to experience your influence.
4. Practise letting go. If you tend to control everything, write down something this week that you accept is outside your control, and when a thought about it comes, say "This is not my area." Letting go is not not caring; it is directing your energy to the right place.
5. Ask yourself two questions. When you face a problem: "What can I change here?" and "What do I need to accept here?" These two questions are the simplest way of establishing a balance between the two ends.

Let us return one last time to the two people diagnosed with diabetes. The first, on their doctor's advice, starts simply walking for fifteen minutes after dinner and, at the test three months later, sees that their results have improved a little: "So there was something in my hands after all." The second, when drawing the responsibility pie, notices that genetic predisposition, years of a heavy work schedule and irregular sleep also have their slices. As the guilt eases, going back for the check-up becomes easier too.

When Should You Seek Professional Support?

• If you have long been living with the feeling "Nothing ever changes, whatever I do is pointless" and are finding it hard to keep up with daily tasks
• If you carry intense, constant guilt for events outside your control
• If the effort to control everything has exhausted you and uncertainty creates intense anxiety in you
• If you cannot recover after an event that genuinely was beyond control, such as a loss, illness or disaster
• If depressive symptoms such as lack of motivation, hopelessness and sleep problems are also present

How Is Locus of Control Addressed in Therapy?

In cognitive behavioural therapy, the sense of control is worked on through the attributions a person makes about events, in other words their answers to the question "Why did this happen?" Concrete situations are examined; together, client and therapist notice in which situations the person blames themselves excessively and in which they overlook the options available to them. Techniques such as the responsibility pie, examining evidence and behavioural experiments are frequently used tools in this process.

Acceptance and commitment therapy places particular importance on separating what can be controlled from what cannot. Accepting thoughts, feelings and circumstances that cannot be controlled, while moving with commitment towards behaviour in line with one's values, is the foundation of this approach. From a schema therapy perspective, the childhood roots of patterns of excessive responsibility or helplessness can be explored.

If you would like to clarify together what is in your hands in your life and what you need to let go of, it is possible to carry out this work within individual therapy, either face to face or online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a test that measures locus of control?

Yes, the scale developed by Rotter and the area-specific scales developed after it are used in research. However, these scales show a tendency; they do not place a person in a definite category. The results are most meaningful when evaluated together with a professional.

Does believing in fate mean having an external outlook?

Not always. Many people live their faith as a way of doing everything they can and then accepting the outcome. Because this view includes both effort and acceptance, it is quite balanced. The problem arises when belief becomes a justification for not making an effort.

How can I support a healthy sense of control in my child?

Giving the child age-appropriate choices and responsibilities, allowing them to experience consequences consistently and linking their success to their effort ("You worked really hard and your effort paid off") are the basic steps. At the same time, it is necessary to teach that not everything is in their hands; being able to say "The other team was better today" after losing a match is also a healthy view.

Can locus of control change later in life?

Yes. New experiences, successes, losses and processes such as therapy can change a person's sense of control. For example, someone who has felt helpless for a long time can rediscover their own influence as they experience small but concrete successes.

• #locus of control
• #responsibility
• #learned helplessness
• #cognitive behavioural therapy

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Eda Erkan Alapala

Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.

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