LOCUS OF CONTROL SCALE

Group # __________ ID#:___________ Age: ______ Gender: F M

INSTRUCTIONS
Answer the following questions the way you feel. There are no right or wrong answers. Don't take too
muh time answering any one questions! "ut #o try to answer them all. One of your onerns #uring the test
may "e! $%hat shoul# I #o if I an answer "oth yes an# no to a question&$ It's not unusual for that to ha''en.
If it #oes! think a"out whether your answer is (ust a little more o'en way than the other. )or e*am'le! if you'#
assign a weighting of +, 'erent to $yes$ an# assign -. 'erent to $no!$ mark the answer $yes.$ Try to 'ik
one or the other res'onse for all questions an# not lea/e any "lank. 0ark your res'onse to the question in the
s'ae 'ro/i#e# on the left.
T12 SCA32

,. Do you "elie/e that most 'ro"lems will sol/e themsel/es if you (ust #on't fool with them&
4. Do you "elie/e that you an sto' yourself from athing a ol#&
5. Are some 'eo'le (ust "orn luky&
-. 0ost of the time! #o you feel that getting goo# gra#es meant a great #eal to you&
+. Are you often "lame# for things that (ust aren't your fault&
6. Do you "elie/e that if some"o#y stu#ies har# enough he or she an 'ass any su"(et&
7. Do you feel that most of the time it #oesn't 'ay to try har# "eause things ne/er turn out right
anyway&
8. Do you feel that if things start out well in the morning that it's going to "e a goo# #ay no matter what
you #o&
.. Do you feel that most of the time 'arents listen to what their hil#ren ha/e to say&
,9. Do you "elie/e that wishing an make goo# things ha''en&
,,. %hen you get 'unishe# #oes it usually seems it's for no goo# reason at all&
,4. 0ost of the time! #o you fin# it har# to hange a frien#'s :min#; o'inion&
,5. Do you think that heering! more than luk! hel's a team to win&
,-. Di# you feel that it was nearly im'ossi"le to hange your 'arent's min# a"out anything&
,+. Do you "elie/e that 'arents shoul# allow hil#ren to make most of their own #eisions&
,6. Do you feel that when you #o something wrong there's /ery little you an #o to make it right&
,7. Do you "elie/e that most 'eo'le are (ust "orn goo# at s'orts&
,8. Are most of the other 'eo'le your age stronger than you are&
,.. Do you feel that one of the "est ways to han#le most 'ro"lems is (ust not to think a"out them&
49. Do you feel that you ha/e a lot of hoie in #ei#ing whom your frien#s are&
4,. If you fin# a four leaf lo/er! #o you "elie/e that it might "ring you goo# luk&
44. Di# you often feel that whether or not you #i# your homework ha# muh to #o with what kin# of
gra#es you got&
45. Do you feel that when a 'erson your age is angry at you! there's little you an #o to sto' him or her&
4-. 1a/e you e/er ha# a goo# luk harm&
4+. Do you "elie/e that whether or not 'eo'le like you #e'en#s on how you at&
46. Di# your 'arents usually hel' you if you aske# them to&
47. 1a/e you felt that when 'eo'le were angry with you it was usually for no reason at all&
48. 0ost of the time! #o you feel that you an hange what might ha''en tomorrow "y what you #o
to#ay&
4.. Do you "elie/e that when "a# things are going to ha''en they (ust are going to ha''en no matter
what you try to #o to sto' them&
59. Do you think that 'eo'le an get their own way if they (ust kee' trying&
5,. 0ost of the time! #o you fin# it useless to try to get your own way at home&
54. Do you feel that when goo# things ha''en they ha''en "eause of har# work&
55. Do you feel that when some"o#y your age wants to "e your enemy there's little you an #o to
hange matters&
5-. Do you feel that it's easy to get frien#s to #o what you want them to #o&
5+. Do you usually feel that you ha/e little to say a"out what you get to eat at home&
56. Do you feel that when someone #oesn't like you there's little you an #o a"out it&
57. Di# you usually feel that it was almost useless to try in shool "eause most other hil#ren were
(ust 'lain smarter than you were&
58. Are you the kin# of 'erson who "elie/es that 'lanning ahea# makes things turn out "etter&
5.. 0ost of the time #o you feel that you ha/e little to say a"out what your family #ei#es to #o&
-9. Do you think it's "etter to "e smart than to "e luky&
SCORING THE SCALE

The soring key is re'ro#ue# "elow. <ou shoul# irle your yes or no res'onse eah time it
orres'on#s to the keye# res'onse "elow. A## u' the num"er of res'onses you irle! an# this total is your
sore on the 3ous of Control Sale. Record your score ! !"e !op o# !"e sc$e%
,. <es .. No ,7. <es 4+. No 55. <es
4. No ,9. <es ,8. <es 46. No 5-. No
5. <es ,,. <es ,.. <es 47. <es 5+. <es
-. No ,4. <es 49. No 48. No 56. <es
+. <es ,5. No 4,. <es 4.. <es 57. <es
6. No ,-. <es 44. No 59. No 58. No
7. <es ,+. No 45. <es 5,. <es 5.. <es
8. <es ,6. <es 4-. <es 54. No -9. No
&HAT THE SCALE MEASURES
3ous of ontrol is a 'ersonality #imension originally #esri"e# "y =ulian Rotter :,.66;. Aor#ing to
Rotter! 'eo'le /ary in regar# to how res'onsi"le they feel for their own fate. In#i/i#uals with an internal lous
of ontrol ten# to "elie/e that 'eo'le are res'onsi"le for their suesses an# failures. Con/ersely! 'eo'le with
a relati/ely e*ternal lous of ontrol ten# to attri"ute suesses an# failures to luk! hane or fate. The sale
you (ust res'on#e# to was #e/elo'e# "y Ste'hen Nowiki an# 0arshall Duke :,.7-; in or#er to reme#y some
tehnial 'ro"lems that were harateristi of the original Rotter :,.66; sale. 3ike the original! it measures
one's "elief a"out whether e/ents are ontrolle# internally or e*ternally.
INTER'RETING (OUR SCORE
The norms are "ase# on #ata ollete# "y Nowiki an# Duke :,.7-; for ,+- Cauasian ollege stu#ents.
A##itional stu#ies suggest that >laks an# other ethni minorities shoul# 'ro"a"ly shift the sore utoffs
u'war# "y a"out fi/e 'oints.
Norms
E)!ern$ Score *+,-. :more than ,.+9 stan#ar# #e/iations a"o/e the mean;
In!er/ed0!e Score: 1,*2 :from 9.7+ stan#ar# #e/iations "elow the mean u' to ,.+9 stan#ar#
#e/iations a"o/e the mean;
In!ern$ Score: ., + :more than 9.7+ stan#ar# #e/iations "elow the mean;
2*ternal Sorers? A sore a"o/e ,+ suggests that you ha/e a fairly strong "elief that e/ents are "eyon# your
ontrol. In other wor#s! you #o not feel that there is muh of a onnetion "etween your "eha/ior an# your
outomes. As #isusse# in your te*t! this means that you are relati/ely less likely than others to take re#it for
your suesses or to take the "lame for your failures. Instea#! you ten# to "elie/e that suess an# failure are
'rimarily a matter of luk an# hane "reaks.
Interme#iate Sorers? A sore in this range means that you ha/e inonsistent /iews a"out the #egree to whih
you ontrol your own fate. <ou 'ro"a"ly "elie/e that you #o ontrol your own fate in some areas of your life!
while "elie/ing that you ha/e little ontrol in other areas.
Internal Sorers? A sore "elow 7 in#iates that you ha/e a firm "elief in your a"ility to influene your
outomes. <our relati/ely internal sore means that you generally #o not attri"ute your suesses an# failures
to goo# an# "a# luk or hane fators. Instea#! you feel that you an influene the ourse of what ha''ens to
you. An internal lous of ontrol is assoiate# with relati/ely great stress tolerane.