General Personality Science

Locus of Control

Whether you believe outcomes are controlled by your own actions (internal locus) or by external forces (external locus). Internal locus correlates with higher achievement.

Locus of control (Rotter, 1954) describes your belief about what controls outcomes in your life.

Internal locus: "My success depends on my effort." These people take responsibility, seek solutions, and persist. External locus: "Things happen because of luck or other people." These people feel less control and may not try.

In Big Five terms: internal locus correlates with high Conscientiousness and low Neuroticism. Locus of control can shift with therapy, achievement experiences, and deliberate reframing.

Measure your Locus of Control profile

Take the free Big Five (OCEAN) test to discover where you fall. Instant results, no signup required.

Take the Free Big Five (OCEAN) Test

Related Terms

Introversion

A personality preference for lower stimulation environments. Introverts recharge through solitude and deep focus, prefer small groups over large parties, and think before speaking.

Personality Trait

A relatively stable pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguishes one person from another. Traits are continuous dimensions (not categories) measured on a spectrum.

Ambivert

A person who falls near the middle of the introversion-extraversion spectrum, displaying both introverted and extroverted behaviors depending on context. Most people (60-70%) are ambiverts.

Dark Triad

Three socially aversive personality traits: Narcissism (grandiosity, entitlement), Machiavellianism (manipulation, cynicism), and Psychopathy (callousness, impulsivity). Present to varying degrees in the general population.

Five Factor Model (FFM)

The scientific framework behind the Big Five personality test. Developed through decades of factor analysis, identifying five broad dimensions that account for most of the variance in human personality.

← Back to Glossary