Locus of Control

Locus of control is a phrase that refers to a person’s views about what causes different things and events to happen in his or her life, whether from their own doing (internal) or from outside factors (external). My OT class did an activity to determine whether we had a more internal or external locus of control, and I scored an 11, which is almost directly in the middle. I would say this is pretty accurate for my personality. While I do believe most things are within my control to an extent, one of my favorite phrases is also “que será será” which is Spanish for “whatever will be, will be.” I do the most that I can to handle different situations and get my desired outcomes, but I also know that some things in life are just simply out of my control. For example, when applying to OT schools, I did my best to maintain good grades in undergrad, have a great application, and apply to a variety of schools. However, after interviewing and doing everything I could on my part, it was out of my control on which schools would select me to be a part of their program (and I happily found my way to UTHSC!).

Through doing this activity and reading the article from The Science PT about locus of control, I have realized how important it can be for OT practitioners to understand this concept. The Science PT mentioned that people who have a more internalized locus of control tend to take ownership of their hardships and are more likely to stick with a program. On the other hand, those who have a more externalized locus can often get stuck on the issues they are experiencing and look for someone else to save them. Based off this, as future therapists, I think we will want to encourage our clients to have a more internal locus of control. This will help them build their own internal motivator that will provide them with deeper meaning to stick with their therapy programs. It will help build the positivity in their minds that they can do these things and they can improve their lives just by feeling like they are in control and not depending on some outside force.

 

Reference:

Meira, E. (2013, December 5). Are your patients out of control? The Science PT. https://thesciencept.com/are-your-patients-out-of-control/.

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