The Basic Idea
Most people would say they enjoy the feeling that comes with a job well done. Of course, however, we define “well” relative to our self-constructs and the feasibility of the task at hand. Part of this positive feeling is due to the fact that we’ll attribute our successes to our hard work and efforts. But what about when we don’t perform as well as we wanted or expected? Are those “failures” a result of our own doings, or other influences?
Our locus of control - the degree to which we see outcomes as related to our personal influence versus external factors - tends to vary based on the outcome of an event.1 When we hold an internal locus of control, we attribute the outcome to our own efforts and abilities. When we hold an external locus of control, we attribute the outcome to luck, fate, or other factors beyond our control. As you might be able to guess, we typically hold an internal locus of control for our successes and an external locus of control for our failures.
I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.
– Carl Jung, pioneer of analytical psychology, on an internal locus of control
