Abstract
Rotter formalised locus of control — stable expectancies about whether your behaviour or outside forces chiefly determines reinforcement.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Psychological Monographs, 80(1), 1–28. DOI
Key findings
- Internal vs external — People differ in expecting outcomes to follow their actions versus luck, fate, or powerful others.
- Generalised expectancy — Expectancies generalise across situations — not one-off moods.
- Behaviour prediction — Internal orientation correlates with persistence and problem-solving in his data.
- Learned pattern — Framed as learned expectancies — experience shapes the default, not fixed destiny.
Limits
1960s monograph scale era — later work splits health, work, and relationships separately.
Application
When you wait for permission that never arrives — check whether you expect outcomes to follow your move or outside forces. See Control wall.