According to Przybylsk, “Internal locus of control was defined as the belief that positive and negative life events are a consequence of one’s own actions, whereas external locus of control was defined as the belief that positive and negative life events are unrelated to one’s own behavior and so are beyond one’s control”(2010, p. 229). In my current clinical practice, I believe in the internal locus of control as defined by Przybylsk. The stressors in life such as: going through divorce, illness, living in poverty and even changes an individual job can have an effect on their health or psychological well -being. In the article, Przybylsk mentioned how studies have shown how a diabetic can have a delay in healing of their wound ulcer as a result of stress, anxiety and depression. In idea of internal locus of control, the negative life events can cause emotional distress and make the individual find difficulty with coping with the current …show more content…
If the patient is able to cope with the negative life events and establish a sense of being in control with the stressors, this can lead to a positive outcome and response to things within their environment. For example at the current mental health hospital in which I work at, the patients have group therapy classes, in which teach them the basic skills of survival within the community such as: balancing check book, hygiene, medication compliant, and anger management. By effectively utilizing these skills, the patient is able to cope with the negative stressors of events in life, apply the resources available, in a positive manner. This will decrease the chance of the patient mentally decompensating and being readmitted to the hospital for being unable to cope with life
As individuals are all different, they can respond to the same situation differently. In the same way, individuals can view and cope with their mental well-being and mental health differently. Someone with a negative view of their own situation may feel that they are to blame or not accept the consequences of their actions, they may find it difficult to deal with their own mental health and well-being. A positive individual may cope better with factors affecting their mental health and well-being. They may deal with their mental state in a more pragmatic way.
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
In order to comprehend external locus of control we must learn its pair, internal locus of control. According to Myers (2013), we have an internal locus of control, controlled by our own effects in the
The reason why Justine committed the crime involves the key elements in Rotter's Locus of Control. When it came to Justine internal locus of control she believed that if she were to take part in the robbery by her own free will then maybe her parents would hear about what she had done and maybe just maybe they would both show up at her grandmother place. She thought that the only way she could get her family back together or the only way she could change things around for the better was by acting out and becoming a different person. When it came to Justine external locus of control she believed that the reason why her whole world had fallen apart was because of bad luck. The reason why her father lost his job was because of bad luck, the
My experience in mental health clinical was very different from any other clinical I had before. In a mental health clinical setting, I am not only treating client’s mental illnesses, I am also treating their medical problems such as COPD, diabetes, chronic renal failure, etc. Therefore, it is important to prepare for the unexpected events. In this mental health clinical, I learned that the importance of checking on my clients and making sure that they are doing fine by performing a quick head-to toes assessment at the beginning of my shift. I had also learned that client’s mental health illness had a huge impact on their current medical illness.
Internal locus of control-an individual believes that he/she can influence events and their outcomes. For Ex. An athlete may blame their poor performance on their failure to get an adequate amount of sleep last night?
Hospitalization – in this environment the client can receive proper self care that they may not be giving to themselves, they can also be monitored and reoriented when confused.
I think that most people do not have an internal locus of control in all situations. For example, in a natural disaster or personal tragedy, you cannot control the events happening around you. The only thing you can control is your reaction to these events. I myself am a bit of a control freak. I like to be in control of my life and the situations or experiences I may be involved in. In situations where I have no control I can get very upset. It has taken me a long time to realize that I cannot control everything and everyone in my life. All I can control is my reaction to the people in my life and the situations I may be faced with where I do not have control. Getting
For my locus of control test score I got a 63. This means that I have pretty good control over situations. I most rely on my skills and intelligences to get things done but I sometimes use luck and other people for help. This score helps me understand how I deal with stress by showing me that personally, I take control. When I know I have a lot going on, I plan ahead and do a little everyday so it doesn’t pile up, otherwise I would get very stressed. Although I do get stressed easily, I do feel I deal with it well and am able to control it. I think the way I deal with my stress is positive to my health. I do sometimes deal with stress in other, less positive ways but for the most part I stick do time-management as my prevention skill.
Jean Twenge and San Diego State University analyzed the questionnaires made by Julian Rotter in the late 1950s. This set of questions was to figure out how much control the student had based on the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. The “internal locus of control” was the idea that a person is responsible for their own success, as “external locus of control” is the belief that an external force or good fortune determines a person’s future. For example, a question might be “(a) Whatever
Locus of control is what you do and act upon a situation. Taking responsibility for everything you do or try out. Internal is when you take responsibility for what you do and except the consequences if you were wrong, but if you did the right thing it can benefit you. Then there’s external and it’s when you blame everyone else for something you didn’t do. If you don’t study for a test and you fail that test and you blame your teachers and for nobody teaching you good that’s called external. If you do study for the test and you’re ready and you ace the test because you get older you take on more responsibilities and nobody has to constantly elucidate everything to you. External locus can be changed by being responsible and
The habits of successful students all starts with locus of control. Locus of control is how your mind looks at the outside world. Here’s an example if fail your test for the semester and you blame it on your teacher. Well that what is called external locus of control. But what if you look at things different and you fail that same test but this time you think of it as your fault you might have not studied enough. Well that’s called inner locus of control.
The person with an external locus of control would approach the situation with the view that outside forces control their fate, while the person with an internal locus of control would approach stressor from the perspective that they control their own destiny. For the first individual, feeling a lack of control could potentially hinder their performance and their health, causing the stress to persist. Conversely, the second person's sense of control, or freedom, over their situation could enhance their ability to carry out the necessary tasks and allow them to enjoy better physical and emotional health. These two differing perspectives may have developed from personal beliefs and experiences: religion, faith, family.
Through this study, answers were being sought to whether a personality variable (Locus of Control) and motivational factors rooted in Uses & Gratifications theory (the desire for virtual community, beautiful websites, maintaining interpersonal relations, and the desire for diversion & entertainment) predict Internet abuse at work in the form of shopping, searching for information unrelated to work, and communicating with friends.
Many of them just focus on maintaining the physical health of people; however, I strongly believe that mental health must also be considered especially since mental health influences physical health. According to Cohen & Pressman’s (2006) research on daily moods and development of colds, those with high levels of positive affect (PA) were less likely to develop a cold when exposed to a virus” (p. 123). The authors do acknowledge, however, that there are no distinct measures of positive affect and sometimes positive affect in terminal illnesses can be detrimental. The study by Ogedegbe et. al (2012) showed “positive-affect induction and self-affirmation (PA) was more effective then patient education (PE) alone in improving medication adherence in hypertensive African Americans” (p. 325). These two studies show the relationship between well-being and physical and mental health, which are all public health matters. Physical and mental disease treatment involve more than just medication. In my opinion, a person has to understand what a disease will do without treatment and how the treatment will enhance the well-being. Disease prevention often involves health practices that will better health outcomes. I believe this, like disease treatment, enhances well-being since it allows the individual to take control before a disease can occur and/or worsen. Since disease treatment and