The Locus of Control Scale
Psychologically hardy people tend to have an internal locus of
control. They believe that they are in control of their own lives.
In contrast, people with an external locus of control tend to see
their fate as being out of their hands.
Are you “internal” or “external”? To learn more about your
perception of your locus of control, respond to this question-
naire, which was developed by Nowicki and Strickland (1973).
YES NO
1. Do you believe that most problems
will solve themselves if you just don’t
fool with them?
2. Do you believe that you can stop
yourself from catching a cold?
3. Are some people just born lucky?
4. Most of the time, do you feel that
getting good grades meant a great
deal to you?
5. Are you often blamed for things that
just aren’t your fault?
6. Do you believe that if somebody
studies hard enough he or she can
pass any subject?
7. Do you feel that most of the time it
doesn’t pay to try hard because things
never turn out right anyway?
8. Do you feel that if things start out
well in the morning, it’s going to be
a good day no matter what you do?
9. Do you feel that most of the time
parents listen to what their
children have to say?
10. Do you believe that wishing can
make good things happen?
11. When you get punished, does it
usually seem it’s for no good reason
at all?
12. Most of the time, do you find it
hard to change a friend’s opinion?
13. Do you think cheering more than
luck helps a team win?
14. Did you feel that it was nearly
impossible to change your parents’
minds about anything?
15. Do you believe that parents should
allow children to make most of their
own decisions?
16. Do you feel that when you do
something wrong there’s very
little you can do to make
it right?
17. Do you believe that most people are
just born good at sports?
18. Are most other people your age
stronger than you are?
19. Do you feel that one of the best
ways to handle most problems
is just not to think about
them?
20. Do you feel that you have a lot of
choice in deciding who your
friends are?
swer Key button to see your score and interpretation.