This study examined the role of perceived control in mediating the effects of job stress on personal and occupational outcomes, and on enhancing the positive effects of stress on personal and organizational outcomes. Civil service employees working in Child Protective Services in Upstate New York (N=129) completed questionnaires measuring their…

People's beliefs about the origins of their health, sometimes referred to as health locus of control, have been shown to influence a variety of important behaviors, including the propensity to engage in effective health maintenance activities, and the willingness to seek and follow medical advice. The purpose of this study was to explore the…

Research has shown that learned-helpless children, who make attributions for failure to lack of ability, tend to show impaired performance of decreased persistence in the face of challenge. In similar situations, mastery-oriented children, identified by their tendency to attribute failure to insufficient effort, show improved performance or…

Research has shown that differences in perceived control can influence drinking behavior and alcoholic rehabilitation. This study examined the viability of an alcohol-specific locus of control scale. Undergraduate students (41 male and 40 female) completed a demographic questionnaire assessing age, sex, ethnicity, and drinking frequency; Rotter's…

This study examined the relationship between children's understanding of their parents' divorce, attribution style, and classroom behavior. Fifty fourth and fifth grade children of divorce completed questionnaires concerning their understanding of divorce and attribution style, while teachers completed a rating of classroom behavior. Measures of…

Control over environmental events has been shown to reduce the behavioral and psychological impact of environmental stress. To assess the effect of residence hall judicial policies on attitudes toward rule violating behavior, 93 college freshmen (36 males, 56 females, 1 unreported), randomly assigned to one of four dormitories (social contract or…

Although psychologists have been investigating locus of control for more than two decades, few studies have examined how locus of control interacts with affective variables. To investigate the function of locus of control on arousal patterns and expressions of anger, 120 college students (60 internals, 60 externals, as measured by Rotter's (1966)…

While the computer is commonly viewed as a tool for simplifying and enriching lives, many individuals react to this technology with feelings of anxiety, paranoia, and alienation. These reactions may have potentially serious career and educational consequences. Fear of computers reflects a generalized fear of current technology and is most…

A study was conducted to compare the locus of control of developmental studies, graduate, and undergraduate students enrolled in a four-year institution in the University System of Georgia. The study utilized Rotter's Internal-External locus of control scale which differentiates individuals on the basis of the person's perceptions that outcomes in…

Preliminary findings are presented to address the issue of the extent to which measures of external locus of control, contraception use, educational achievement, and religiosity discriminate between black unmarried adolescent fathers and nonfathers. Forty-eight unmarried adolescent fathers and 50 unmarried adolescent nonfathers were identified by…

The purpose of this study is to identify developmental trends in children's understanding of pity, anger, and guilt by examining changes in their reasoning about the causes of these emotions. Specifically, relationships between perceived controllability of negative events and these three emotions were examined. A total of 120 children between the…

Self-destructiveness can be viewed in two ways: as performing an act which one knows cognitively is not conducive to one's welfare but nonetheless leads to some pleasurable affect (e.g., overeating, smoking); or not performing an act one knows one should perform but which has some negative affective consequences (e.g., dental checkups, saving…

Poor health has been implicated as a suppressor of the life satisfaction of older adults. To clarify the contribution of arthritis to this process, functional disability, negative affect, pain, current severity of the disease, self-esteem, perception of general health, and internal health locus of control, were placed within a causal model as…

This study examined the locus of control of experienced teachers with reference to their gender and academic background; and ascertained the relationships between locus of control and: (1) educational attitudes in general; (2) attitudes toward change; (3) sense of responsibility; and (4) classroom teaching behavior. Subjects were 80 secondary…

Many studies have hypothesized a developmental relationship between children's chronological and mental ages and their intrapersonal perceptions of internal and external control. To investigate longitudinal changes in children's locus of control, 97 elementary school children, between the ages of 8 and 13, were administered the Children's…