THE LOCUS OF CONTROL: ENHANCED OR DOWNED?

Dear readers and friends.                                                                Articolo Originale

Today I present to you another very interesting life coaching article: THE LOCUS OF CONTROL. Like all the works I have published, this one also requires sincere introspection. And once again I ask you not to substitute an expert for this article, if you need help there are the structures and personnel suitable for this purpose, contact them. 

Locus of control helps you distinguish between those who live life in an enhanced way (i.e. through an internal locus of control) and those who live in a disempowered way (i.e. through an external locus of control).

The principle of 'Locus of Control' was coined by Julian Rotter (1954). He considers the idea that people tend to believe that control lives internally (within them) or externally (from others or the situation). Locus of control exists on a spectrum: some individuals have an entirely internal or external locus of control, but others will have some balance between the two. For example, some people may be more internal at home while more external at work.

A key idea we have reiterated throughout these articles is that  “accountability breeds empowerment” . Many people feel down, depressed and defeated because of their current situation and what is happening to them. They believe that things are happening to them that are beyond their control and may even believe that other people have control over them and that they can do nothing but obey them. This fatalistic mindset is what is known as the external locus of control.

People with this type of locus of control believe that they are passive to the events and things that happen to them in life and accept their circumstances as they are. If they feel they have succeeded at something, they will be more likely to attribute it to luck as they suppose to their ability/talent.

People who operate from an external locus of control tend to subscribe to the idea that they need to be "kept safe", that their past equals their future, that they are victims in life, that people need to keep them happy, who are entitled to things without needing to work for them because life "owes it to them" and believe they should feel better because they want to feel better.

The internal locus of control generates a very different attitude in people: they believe they make things happen in life and that they can choose how to respond to results and outcomes. Those with a high locus of control see themselves as in control of their future and recognize that the choices they make will lead to their success or failure. These people allow themselves to be influenced by every event that happens to them in life and therefore allow the outside world to control their lives rather than taking control and responsibility for it.

Our role is to break out of this default state of mind and bring it into a greater realization of what we are capable of, who we are, and how much power we have in the outcomes of our lives . One should strive to adopt the internal locus of control mentality. Even though there is nothing we can do about what happens to us in life, we can always control how we respond to our external circumstances. The internal locus of control generates a very different attitude in people; they believe they make things happen in life and that they can choose how to respond to results and outcomes. 

Those with a high locus of control see themselves as in control of their future and recognize that the choices they make will lead to their success or failure. Whatever the outcome, they have confidence that they will be able to overcome the obstacles they face and come out on top. They are not negatively affected by people who judge them, dislike them, or misunderstand them: they believe in the validity of their core identity and self-confidence that they are a good, well-intentioned person. If someone doesn't like them, that's their loss!

Those with an  internal locus  are those who have taken responsibility for the role they play in their own outcomes. This does not mean, however, that people with an external locus of control are knowingly and purposefully irresponsible people, rather, they are people who have faced difficulties in life, affected by failures, illnesses, losses and rejections and just expect, as a default , that these things will happen to him again. It must be observed and understood that there is no universal power that does things for us or in our place, but that only we are responsible for making good things happen in our lives. 

Yes, there are bad things that will happen to us, but our responses to these situations are what transform our lives for better or worse .

The future is what we do and we get what we work for in life . We need to be more courageous and confident and start being open to challenges, change and ideas to shift our mindset from an external to an internal locus of control. We need to invest more energy and passion in personal growth than the desire to 'feel better or happier'.