Locus of control

• Locus of control - The degree to which people believe they are masters of their own fate.
• Internals: People who believe that they are masters of their own fate.
 Individuals who believe that they control what happens to them.
• Externals: People who believe they are pawns of fate.
 Individuals who believe that what happens to them is controlled by outside forces
such as luck or chance.
• Individuals who rate high in externality are less satisfied with their jobs, have
higher absenteeism rates, are more alienated from the work setting, and are less
involved on their jobs than are internals.
• Internals generally perform better on their jobs, but one should consider
differences in jobs.
• Internals search more actively for information before making a decision,
are more motivated to achieve, and make a greater attempt to control their
environment, therefore, internals do well on sophisticated tasks.
• Internals are more suited to jobs that require initiative and independence of action.
• Externals are more compliant and willing to follow directions, and do well on jobs
that are well structured and routine and in which success depends heavily on
complying with the direction of others