MSLD 511 Reflection Blog: Assignment Prompt
“Locus of control is an individual’s belief system regarding the causes of his or her experiences and the factors to which that person attributes success or failure. In reflecting on locus of control, answer the following questions.”
“Do you have an internal or external locus of control? Reflect on the statement that locus of control is often viewed as an inborn personality component. However, there is also evidence that it is shaped by childhood experiences—including children’s interactions with their parents. Furthermore, provide your thoughts on whether those with an internal locus of control are ‘better off.'”
In path-goal theory one of the characteristics of followers is “desires for control,” which reveals how followers think about events that take place in their lives. Desires for control is studied through a personality construct called “locus of control” which is divided into either internal locus of control or external locus of control (Northouse, 2018). A person with an internal locus of control thinks they are in control of the events of their life, they make choices and decisions that determine what happens. They prefer a participative type of leadership so that they can feel like they’re part of the decision making and in control of their own work. A person with an external locus of control thinks that the events of life are left up to fate, out of their control and left up to outside forces to determine. They prefer a directive type of leadership because it lines up with their belief that they don’t have control over what happens to them (Northouse, 2018).
I have an internal locus of control and believe that I am capable of making choices and decisions about the events of my life. That doesn’t mean that something random could not happen that was out of my control, like a death or accident. It means that I choose how I react to those events. I believe that no matter what life holds, I have the ability to overcome. I have the ability to choose my next path in relation to my circumstances. This internal locus of control does carry over into my work and I do enjoy working with participative leaders who include me in the decision making process (Northouse, 2018).
“He taught me that I could steer my own course.”
In my opinion, locus of control is not inborn, because I believe there are too many factors and dynamics of experiences that could shape a person’s beliefs in relation to locus of control. For example, I believe that how I was brought up by my parents shaped my beliefs in this area. There were many things that we overcame as a family and my parents never gave up on me and always encouraged me to set goals and work toward them. I worked in our family business with my father when I was a teenager, and his direction and outlook on life influenced me to have belief that I was in control of my future. He made business decisions and decisions in leadership of our family that changed the direction we were going. He often said to me, “You can do anything that you set your mind to do.” He taught me that I could steer my own course.
I believe that those with an internal locus of control are “better off.” As I mentioned above, while life can throw curve balls at times, an internal locus of control means that I believe in overcoming, problem-solving, and figuring out my next steps. Feeling like I can overcome and make my way through problems gives me more confidence and optimism than if I had an external locus of control. In my opinion, believing that you have no control over the events of your life could become debilitating. It could lead to depression if a person felt stuck in a situation and had no agency to remove themselves or to create their own change. I’ve been knocked down by some devastating events over the course of my life, but that internal locus of control says get and get through this. It motivates me to keep going — in the direction that I choose.
Cynde Puckett | MSLD 511 | Dr. Douglas | April 17, 2021 | Reflection Blog Assignment
Reference
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice 8th ed. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publishing.
Cynde Puckett-Valenti 