top of page

Locus of Control.

Let's talk about Julian Rottner's Locus of Control. There are two varieties: internal and external. A person with a strong internal locus believes that success is earned through their own abilities, while someone with an external locus believes that success comes from the support and approval of others. Similarly, people who focus on their internal loci also believe that failures are due to their own faults, whereas the external loci folks believe it is the fault of others. In the United States we tend to look up to people who demonstrate a greater internal locus of control. "Pulled up by their own bootstraps" is a uniquely American thing. You would think the poster guy for this would be Arnold Schwartznegger, and yet he is quick to acknowledge others for his successes. People who believe they are in control of every outcome ignore the existence of external forces. People who believe that fate rules their destiny underplay their own abilities.


© Creative Commons with modifications

A fundamental concept in Taoism is that a "thing" cannot exist without its opposite. Light cannot be named without darkness; heat cannot be felt without cool, and so forth. This dualism is called Yin and Yang, and the combination of the two are what makes up the Tao, or the "way of things." It doesn't take much effort to understand the dualism in the Locus of Control. An external locus is without understanding unless you can pair it with the internal locus.





It might be a healthy exercise to take a look at your past patterns and do a little "gut check" on your own reactions to events in your career. For example, if you applied for a job that you didn't get, it's may be easy to focus on one side of the locus ledger ("my resume was terrible, that's why they didn't hire me") or the other ("they already had someone in mind and I didn't stand a chance"). The reality is that that hiring decisions are often based on a multitude of factors; without feedback or more information you can't make any assumptions. In the end, the best course of action is to learn what you can from the experience and move on to the next opportunity.

Subscribe to the Causerie

Thanks for subscribing!

bottom of page