Case Study: Andre Agassi

I’ve noticed a difference between me and my friend Iago, during that one class a few weeks ago where we talked about the locus of control me and Iago compared our scores. I was rather surprised to find us being almost at complete opposite ends! I personally appear to have an external locus of control meaning I think external forces are to blame. On the other hand Iago has an internal locus of control meaning he thinks he is in control of situations rather than external forces being the cause.

How much of what happens in our lives do we actually control? This is a question that mankind has been pondering for thousands of years. There are two different articles that could answer the question. David Epstein, the author of “The Sports Gene”, writes about a true story of fate, in which an amateur high jumper makes it to the top due to his god-given gift of a large Achille’s tendon. Malcom Gladwell argues in his piece, “Outliers,” that success depends on one’s willingness to practice or try again. Using extensive research and solid evidence, Malcom Gladwell creates a better argument that success is a result of hard work and dedication, and therefore better answers the question, “How much of what happens in our lives do we actually control?”

Some people believe that humans do not control their own destiny, and success is due to natural causes. Others believe that humans do control their own destiny, and success is due to hard work. The Sports Gene, written by Daniel Epstein, is about a young man named Donald Thomas who discovered his natural talent for high jumping through a friendly bet. Outliers: The Story of Success, written by Malcolm Gladwell, explains that hard work is more important than natural talent. Through thorough explanation, Gladwell produces a more convincing argument supporting hard work over natural talent for controlling what happens in our lives.

How much of our lives do we actually control ? Everyone has and will always have different outlooks on this question that can’t possibly be proven, we can solely try to persuade and convince each other otherwise.For example two authors had two different viewpoints on this controversial question.David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene, argues that physical ability formed at birth out ways hard work and success achieved through years of practice.The opposing author William Ernest Henley wrote a poem called Invictus that is strong and powerful to anyone that reads it, claiming that you are the master of your own destiny. These are both reasonable claims but I believe William Ernest Henry has a more convincing argument therefore he better answers the question, How much of our lives do we actually control ?

Experts argue about whether or not we have control over our lives. They question if destiny is determined by fate or by choices we make in our life. Two authors both take their sides on this topic producing evidence to support their claim. David Epstein author of The Sports Gene and Malcolm Gladwell author of Outliers: Story of Success both make an argument on how much we control in our lives in which they take different sides. David Epstein wrote about a track and field athlete who had incredible jumping ability despite never practicing high jumping. Malcolm Gladwell talks about how violinists were never able to float through musical school without putting in the practice hours. They each support their side with

Another factor affecting peoples perception could be their locus of control, Rotter (1954) made distinctions between beliefs of people with an internal and an external locus of control: people who are said to be ‘internal’ are thought to believe that their own actions can change the outcome of situations, making these situations under personal control, however ‘externals’ are seen generally to believe that the outcome is beyond their personal control, believing that their actions are unrelated to the events. Therefore if someone has an internal locus of control they believe that they have a significant say in how their lives are run, whereas a person with an external locus of control believes that ‘fate’ has already decided upon the events of their lives. Niven (2000) suggests that people who have an internal locus of control may be more highly motivated to take action concerning their health; however they are less likely to adhere to medical advice. This may be due to the fact that internals feel that they have a choice and say in the outcomes of their health and can decide not to adhere when it is appropriate. For example in Susan’s case when she spoke about having a bilateral total knee replacement, she said that when the doctor had advised having

To what degree can an individual’s choices and actions influence the direction of his or her life?

Incidents and Influences: As I observed this students I began to notice a low level of achievement with an external locus of control. He seem to blame his failure in his writing journal to past experiences, saying that “I can’t do this” and “ I hate writing”. Other locus of control consist of effort when he put his head on his desk. When the teacher asked if he would like a study

“I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfill our destiny, but our fate is sealed” (Paulo Coelho). In other words, people can control what they want to do in life, but they cannot choose what happens in that matter. Do people have a choice to succeed or is it naturally given to someone? In the Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell, the author argues that people make their own success in life, by using examples of music skill, performance, and other talents to back up his claim. On the other hand, The Sports Gene, by David Epstein, argues

Everything happens for a reason. Some individuals believe that they are the reason behind everything that occurs to them. Other individuals believe in a higher power that predestines them to a certain fate. There are still yet some individuals who fall in between both aspects of personality studies. A non-complex description of this is how my religion can be evaluated through the locus of control. I know a tad surprising, but religion just like in many aspects of the world places an enormous amount of emphasis on what I say or do each day. When I go to Sunday mass, I feel more relaxed about what is yet to come the next day because I have made the effort to acknowledge my rights as well as my wrongs in front of God. While on the other hand, when something doesn’t go my way I feel the need to condemn God and ask Him, “Why have you placed this obstacle in my way?” This brings me to my research question; does my external locus of control affect my behavior? After acquiring some knowledge on the topic in class and from previous readings, I have hypothesized that external locus of control does affect behavior. I will now introduce locus of control, provide evidence that supports my hypothesis, and review the main aspects of my argument.

Based on the 2015-16 group statistics, Birdie Alexander is comprised of 82.8% African American, 14.4% Hispanic and 1.3% Caucasian. Also, within our campus population a total of 81% of our students are economically disadvantaged.

Many people who have never played tennis think that it is as simple as a game of ping-pong. I have also found that a common misconception is that one can be an accomplished tennis player without much practice or effort. This is completely wrong. It is definitely a complex game and requires a lot of strenuous physical and mental effort. I began playing tennis the summer before my 11th grade year and I was under the false impression that it was going to be a fairly easy sport.

Through the eyes of an eight year old, Andre Agassi shares his private life and background of becoming a world famous tennis player, in his autobiography Open from 2009. Already from the beginning Andre Agassi narrates about the family’s more or less tense relationship to each other and how the tennis player’s career is affected of his social heritage. This is the three main themes Andre Agassi gets around in his story about his early life.

This can have something to do with how the culture is in Iran, where the 2nd and 3rd generation lived and were brought up. The father is portrayed as a dominating person and Andre feels pressured by him as it is portrait in the quote on P. 2 ll.118-123: “But my son, he adds – maybe they will make tennis an Olympic sport once again, and my son will win a gold medal, and that will make up for it. a little extra pressure to go with my everyday pressure.” The father has high expectation and does not care if Andre wants to be a tennis player, but since he could not he wants his child to, which Andre does not seem to understand. He also talks rudely and aggressively towards Andre as it is portrayed on P. 4 ll.241-242: “startled, he yells, steps back, then shoots out his fist.” And on P. 4 ll.246-249: “My father stands over me, scowling. What the fuck is the matter with you? Go to your room.” He behaves very mean towards Andre and the quotes show that the father has a very short temper. This may have something to do with the way the father was brought up as we see on P.1 ll. 11-13: “He says she nagged him when he was a boy and often beat him.” This quote shows that the father does some of the things his mother did to

The extract from Andre Agassi’s autobiography Open is about family expectations. When you ex-pect something particular from someone or something you are talking about expectations. Family expectations is, therefore when for example when your father has a certain expectation to you, about the fact that you have to live up to a certain demand from your family.