{"id":49650,"date":"2021-09-16T10:28:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T14:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=49650"},"modified":"2021-09-27T12:38:16","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T16:38:16","slug":"internal-and-external-locus-of-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/internal-and-external-locus-of-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal and External Locus of Control: Key Differences"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s the difference between an internal and external locus of control? Which is better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your thoughts shape your reality<\/a>. For that reason, the amount of control you think you have matters more than the amount you actually have. The difference between an internal and external locus of control is the difference between someone who believes they are in control of their own life and someone who believes their life is controlled by external factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to find out the difference between an internal and external locus of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Internal and External Locus of Control <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are incredible benefits of finding a way to rise above challenges by learning and growing from them. A good start is to know the difference between an internal and external locus of control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to fall up, you have to feel that you have some control over your fate\u2014but control can seem elusive when you\u2019re stressed and overwhelmed. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since your perception shapes your reality, the actual amount of control you have matters less than how much control you think<\/em> you have. That doesn\u2019t mean that you should falsely and foolishly claim control over things like the weather\u2014rather, it has to do with how you interpret situations, similarly to the way your explanatory style determines how you make sense of challenges. There are two lenses through which you can interpret your control, an internal and an external locus of control:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. People who have an <\/strong>internal<\/em><\/strong> locus of control believe that they can have a direct impact on their futures.<\/strong> When these people face a challenge or setback, they reflect on how they could have performed better, and then they improve for future situations. <\/li>
  2. People who have an <\/strong>external<\/em><\/strong> locus of control blame events and circumstances on external forces<\/strong> over which they have no control. This perspective leads to learned helplessness<\/a> because if you don\u2019t feel that you have any control, then it doesn\u2019t matter what you do or don\u2019t do\u2014so, why bother? People with this view not only shirk the blame for failures, but they also deny credit for successes, which robs them of the feelings of confidence and commitment that come with achievement. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Here are the benefits of understanding the difference between an internal and external locus of control. Feeling a sense of control<\/a> is one of the biggest factors in both happiness and success<\/a>, and it contributes to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n