external locus of control

n. External locus of control refers to the degree to which individuals expect that a reinforcement or an outcome of their behavior depends on causes external to the individual, or is a function of chance or luck, or even is simply unpredictable. The original internal-external scale developed by Rotter in 1966 proposed considering external and internal locus of control on a continuous bipolar scale. However, other authors proposed considering external and internal locus of control as two independent dimensions, and some even suggested distinguishing different externality dimensions, as chance or powerful others. External locus of control is affected by several demographic variables and is negatively related to academic achievement. No relation has been observed between locus of control and intelligence. Several clinical populations seem to have higher external locus of control, such as depressive patients, and this level seems to be negatively associated with the outcomes of treatments.

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