In a performance-oriented society where professional success is closely tied to self-worth, it is worth understanding which internal mechanisms influence our assessment of success opportunities – and how we can actively shape them.
The way you evaluate your own successes or failures significantly affects how you assess your abilities in the future. This has direct consequences for motivation, self-efficacy, and willingness to perform at work. A central role in this context is played by the so-called Locus of Control (LOC) – your belief about who or what has control over events in your life.
The LOC can help you realistically assess your perceptions and at the same time serve as a tool to specifically strengthen motivation and self-efficacy.
What is the Locus of Control?
In psychological research as well as in the categorization of personality traits, the LOC is usually divided into a spectrum between two areas. This ranges from the internal to the external locus. In general, there are two directions in which you can locate yourself. If you see yourself as being in control of what happens in your life, your locus is more internal. If you feel at the mercy of events in your life and believe you have no room for change, your locus is more external. Numerous studies [1-6] show that an internal locus has noticeable positive effects on areas such as work motivation, self-efficacy, performance, stress management, and job satisfaction.
For situational descriptions, the LOC can be divided into three areas with two facets each, as follows: (to be explained further)
- Internal vs. External – Do I determine my fate, or does my fate determine me?
- Internal: You attribute success or failure to your own abilities, effort, or motivation.
- External: You attribute it to external influences such as luck, misfortune, or other people’s behavior.
- Stable vs. Variable – Permanent cause or temporary situation?
- Stable: The cause is lasting (e.g., talent or a supervisor).
- Variable: The cause is changeable and situation-dependent (e.g., preparation, fatigue, or stress).
- Controllable vs. Uncontrollable – Can I intervene – or not?
- Controllable: You can change something, e.g., through better time management or practice.
- Uncontrollable: The cause lies outside your influence (e.g., the weather or certain decisions made by others).
A short example:
Let’s say you’re working on a team project, and you don’t manage to meet the deadline.
Example 1: You didn’t manage your time optimally this time. Normally, that’s one of your strengths, but last week there was a lot to do, and you miscalculated your schedule.
Cause time management: internal, variable, controllable
Example 2: Your teammates didn’t complete their parts of the task on time, so the project wasn’t finished by the deadline.
Cause teammates: external, variable, uncontrollable
Our perception bias of control
Our assessment of our own control over successes and failures often deviates significantly from reality. Two clear tendencies – especially in failures – are as follows:
Excessive self-responsibility: Every time you fail, you think you’re simply not capable and never will be (internal, stable, uncontrollable).
Not every failure is due solely to your ability or disposition. After a setback, consider whether internal circumstances such as your physical and mental state may have influenced the outcome, instead of judging yourself. Did you sleep too little, feel overwhelmed, or were you distracted by private conflicts? Likewise, external factors may play a role, such as certain conditions or people.
Complete externalization: You believe external circumstances or other people prevent your success and that you are powerless (external, stable, uncontrollable).
The belief that you have no control over your own failures is unpleasant, but it also protects you from confronting yourself: What could you have done better? Nobody likes to realize that their own performance wasn’t enough to achieve success. At the same time, success and failure should not define you – they should merely reflect where your potential for growth still lies and where you have already reached your desired level of expertise. Try to be honest with yourself: What can you change, control, or improve to achieve a better result next time? Which circumstances are truly outside your control, and how can you best prepare for them? Only you have the ability to make a change.
What does knowing your control belief do for you?
As mentioned at the beginning, psychology usually distinguishes between an internal and an external LOC. This type of attitude or trait affects different areas of working life.
With an internal locus, you benefit from a sense of independence and self-efficacy. A strong sense of self-efficacy, as well as an internal LOC, help reduce or mitigate the negative effects of stress, and together they are particularly effective [1] [5]. Furthermore, there is a positive correlation between an internal LOC and job satisfaction and performance. This means: the stronger your internal LOC, the higher your work performance and job satisfaction [3] [4].
In contrast, the external locus is often accompanied by a lower sense of self-efficacy and a greater feeling of helplessness. It also shows that your job satisfaction suffers under an external LOC [2] [6]. Likewise, stress symptoms can appear more strongly when you have an external LOC [6].
From theory to practice
The LOC is generally considered a rather stable personality trait. Nevertheless, it is possible to shift the LOC – especially in cases of strong externalization – through targeted exercises. If you recognize yourself in this, here are some exercises:
Reflection on successes and actions
- Regularly write down situations in which your behavior or decisions influenced an outcome.
Analyze: What exactly did I do that contributed to the result? This makes the connection between your actions and their impact more visible.
Goal setting and self-responsibility
- Set small, realistic goals that are clearly measurable.
Exercise: Document the steps you personally took to reach the goal. This creates a sense of: My actions make the difference.
Reframing causes
- When something goes wrong, practice not attributing the situation only to external circumstances (“bad luck”, “others”), but also think: What part did I play? What could I do differently next time? This trains you to take responsibility constructively without falling into guilt.
Self-efficacy through experiential learning
- Actively seek situations where you can try things out and get immediate feedback (e.g., sports, small projects, learning progress).
Important: Consciously notice and store moments of success.
Role modeling & mentors
- Engage with biographies or people who actively take their fate into their own hands.
Reflect: What do these people do specifically that I could apply myself?
Cognitive-behavioral techniques
- Pay attention to typical thoughts like “There’s nothing I can do” and replace them with: “What lies within my influence?”
Exercise: Write down three things that are within your control today and take active steps toward at least one of them.
What is important for you?
Not every failure is proof of a lack of competence. Learn to analyze causes in a differentiated way:
- What can you change?
- What lies outside your control?
- How can you prepare for things outside your control?
- Which factors are temporary and not fundamental?
The ability to realistically distinguish between factors you can and cannot influence helps you sustainably strengthen your motivation and self-efficacy. Because change begins where you take responsibility – not blame.
Sources
- Grau, R., Salanova, M., & Peiró, J. M. (2001). Moderating effects of self-efficacy on occupational stress. Psychology in Spain, 5(1), 63–74.
- Jain, V. K., Lall, R., McLaughlin, D. G., & Johnson, W. B. (1996). Effects of locus of control, occupational stress, and psychological distress on job satisfaction among nurses. Psychological reports, 78(3 Pt 2), 1256–1258. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1996.78.3c.1256
- Judge, T. A., & Bono, J. E. (2001). Relationship of core self-evaluations traits--self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability--with job satisfaction and job performance: a meta-analysis. The Journal of applied psychology, 86(1), 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.80
- Padmanabhan, S. (2021). The impact of locus of control on workplace stress and job satisfaction: A pilot study on private‑sector employees. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 2, Article 100026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbeha.2021.100026
- Rahim, M.A. Relationships of Stress, Locus of Control, and Social Support to Psychiatric Symptoms and Propensity to Leave a Job: A Field Study with Managers. Journal of Business and Psychology 12, 159–174 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025018101302
- Spector, P. E., Cooper, C. L., Sanchez, J. I., O'Driscoll, M., Sparks, K., Bernin, P., ... & Yu, S. (2002). Locus of control and well-being at work: How generalizable are Western findings Academy of Management Journal, 45(2), 453–466. https://doi.org/10.5465/3069359
Author
Lara
Lara is a Psychology graduate and trainee at bluquist. She creates content in the field of work and organizational psychology.