Description
Internal control refers to individuals who believe that reinforcements are contingent upon their own behavior, capacities, or attributes. External control refers to individuals who believe that reinforcements are not under their personal control but rather are under the control of powerful others, luck, chance, fate, etc.
The concept of locus of control, as derived from social learning theory (Rotter, 1966), provides a useful means for measuring individual differences in the extent to which reinforcement is viewed as a consequence of one’s own behavior or a consequence of such forces as ‘Chance’, ‘Fate’, or ‘Powerful others’.
Uses: –
The scale has immediate relevance for social workers as a conceptual tool in understanding the nature of a client’s dysfunction and the reason clients differ in their ability to utilize helping intervention.