Locus of Control

Locus of control (LoC) is the amount of control one perceives to have over their life and life events. The two extremes to this continuum of perception are internal LoC and external LoC. Where one falls on this continuum greatly impacts their understanding and interaction with the world. Individuals with a strong internal LoC believe life events and situations are a result of internal factors. These individuals believe they have more control over life and their actions lead to a certain outcome. For example, if an individual arrives late to work, they blame themselves for snoozing their alarm. On the opposite side of this spectrum is the external LoC in which individuals believe life events and situations are a direct result of external factors outside of their control. These individuals believe chance, luck, and fate control their life by praising or blaming outside influences dependent on the outcome. Using the same example mentioned above, this individual would blame traffic or the sound of their alarm clock as a cause to being late. As stated earlier, LoC is a continuum, and most individuals shift between both perspectives of control.

As a future OT practitioner, it is important to understand this concept and how it can influence myself, coworkers, and clients. Why is LoC important to understand when working with future clients? A client’s LoC can affect their experience and expectations of OT services as well as impact the dynamics of your therapeutic relationship. Erik Meira (2015) describes clients with a stronger external LoC may expect to be “fixed.” It is important to not encourage this pattern of thinking because the client will rely on you to make them better. An OT can reduce client dependency by providing education on techniques and/or activities they can do to make themselves better. Occupational therapy is a client-centered profession, allowing the client to make decisions. If a client has a strong external LoC, the OT should boost internal motivation by finding activities that are motivating to the client and help change their mindset to focus on what they can do. On the contrary, a client with a strong internal LoC will be interested in what they can do to make themselves better and are often committed to their home exercise program (Meira, 2015). 

How does LoC influence me? I scored a 10 on the Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale, meaning my dominant LoC is internal with some aspects of external LoC existing at the same time. To break this down, a score of 0 is indicative of a strong internal LoC and a score of 23 or more is indicative of a strong external LoC. I agree with my mixed score because my perception of control is often dependent on the situation. I believe by having a stronger internal LoC I will be able to encourage an internal LoC in future clients. 

References:

Lancaster, S. (2021). Locus of control [Lecture notes session 6]. Blackboard. 

Meira, E. (2015, December 5). Are your patients out of control?. The Science PT.

 https://thesciencept.com/are-your-patients-out-of-control/

Uranda, R. [Rosario Uranda]. (2014, May 30). Locus of control definition and examples of internal and external. [Video]. YouTube. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF6mRWSiwhY