Reflexiones sobre la interpretación del concepto de locus de control en investigación social

Pablo De Grande

doi:10.16925/pe.v10i17.795

Reflections on the Interpretation of the Locus of Control Concept in Social Research

Research Reflection Articles

https://doi.org/10.16925/pe.v10i17.795

Pablo De Grande Ver Biografía

Universidad del Salvador

This article proposes a revision of the locus of control concept as a useful tool within the field of research into perception of control and its effects on actions. Locus of control measures have been widely used within and outside psychology to link beliefs with individual actions, and they have proved useful in areas as diverse as education, health, labor mobility and cultural consumption. However, its success at the empirical level has led in some cases —according to its creator, Julian Rotter— to conceptual inaccuracies with respect to its definition and the interpretation of results. Is locus of control the same as a measure of self-efficacy? Should internal focus of control be seen as something positive and external locus of control as something negative? Is it possible to predict individual behavior using a generalized measure of locus of control? This paper contextualizes the locus of control measure in the theoretical space where it originated (social learning theory), and highlights some relevant interpretive points for its analysis and use.

Keywords: self-concept, wellbeing, externality, locus of control

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-Efficacy.toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.

Bandura, A. (1989). Human Agency in Social Cognitive Theory. American Psychologist, 44(9), 1175-1184.

Blackman, S. (1962). Some Factors Affecting the Perception of Events as Chance Determined. The Journal of Psychology, 64, 197-202.

Brenlla, M. y Despierre, M. (2007). Condiciones psicológicas y autonomía de agencia. Presentado en el VIII Congreso Nacional de Ciencia Política de la Sociedad Argentina de Análisis Político, 6 al 9 de noviembre, Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Cauce, A. M., Hannan, K. y Sargeant, M. (1992). Life Stress, Social Support, and Locus of Control During Early Adolescence: Interactive Effects. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20(6), 787-798.

De Grande, P. (2013). Redes personales y locus de control en centros urbanos de la Argentina. Revista de Psicología, 31(2), 315-348.

Gašić-Pavišić, S., Joksimović, S. y Janjetović, D. (2006). General Self-Esteem and Locus of Control of Young Sportsmen. Zbornik Instituta zapedagoskaistrazivanja, 38(2), 385-400.

Goss, A. y Morosko, T. (1970). Relation between a Dimension of Internal-External Control and the mmpi with an Alcoholic Population. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 34(2), 189-192.

Gurin, P., Gurin, G. y Morrison, B. (1978). Personal and Ideological Aspects of Internal and External Control. Social Psychology, 41(4), 275-296.

Kaufmann, P., Welsh, D. y Bushmarin, N. (1995). Locus of Control and Entrepreneurship in the Russian Republic. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 20, 43-56.

Kukulu, K., Buldukoglu, K., Kulakaq, O. y Koksal, C. D. (2006). The Effects of Locus of Control, Communication Skills and Social Support on Assertiveness in Female Nursing Students. Social Behavior and Personality, 34(1), 27-40.

Laborín, J., Vera, J., Durazo, F. y Parra, E. (2008). Composición del locus de control en dos ciudades latinoamericanas. Psicología desde el Caribe, 22, 63-83.

Lachman, M. y Weaver, S. (1998). The Sense of Control as a Moderator of Social Class Differences in Health and Well-Being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(3), 763-773.

Lefcourt, H. (1966). Internal versus External Control of Reinforcement: a Review. Psychological Bulletin, 65(4), 206-220.

Martínez, M. F., García, M. y Maya, I. (2002). Social Support and Locus of Control as Predictors of Psychological Well-Being in Moroccan and Peruvian Immigrant Women in Spain. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 26, 287-310.

Oros, L. (2005). Locus de control: evolución de su concepto y operacionalización. Revista de Psicología de la Universidad de Chile, 14(1), 89-98.

Palomar, J. y Valdés, L. (2004). Pobreza y Locus de Control. Revista Interamericana de Piscología, 38(2), 225-240.

Reynolds, C. (1976). Correlational Findings, Educational Implications, and Criticisms of Locus of Control Research: A Review. Journal of Black Studies, 6(3), 221-256.

Rodríguez, F. (2006). Televisión y locus de control: cultivo del miedo y el autoritarismo en los televidentes norteamericanos. Presentado en el xii Encuentro Latinoamericano de Facultades de Comunicación Social, 25 al 28 de septiembre, Bogotá (Colombia).

Rotter, J. (1954). General Principles for a Social Learning Framework of Personality Study. En Social Learning and clinical psychology (pp. 82-104). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Rotter, J. (1966). Generalized Expectancies for Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80(609), 1-28.

Rotter, J. (1975). Some Problems and Misconceptions Related to the Construct of Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43(1), 56-67.

Rotter, J. (1990). Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement. A Case History of a Variable. American Psychologist, 45(4), 489-493.

Rotter, J. y Mulry, R. (1965). Internal versus external control of reinforcement and decision time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2(4), 598-604.

Salvia, A. (Coord.). (2013). Desajustes en el desarrollo humano y social (2010-2011-2012): Inestabilidad económica, oscilaciones sociales y marginalidades persistentes en el tercer año del Bicentenario. Buenos Aires: Educa.

Seligman, M. (1972). Learned Helplessness. Annual Review of Medicine, 23, 407-412.

Smith, P., Trompenaars, F. y Dugan, S. (1995). The Rotter Locus of Control Scale in 43 Countries: A Test of Cultural Relativity. International Journal of Psychology, 30(3), 377-400.

Sodowsky, G., Kuo-Jackson, P., Richardson, M. y Corey, A. (1998). Correlates Self-Reported Multicultural Competencies: Counselor Multicultural Social Desirability, Race, Social Inadequacy, Locus of Control Racial Ideology and Multicultural Training. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45(3), 256-264.

Visdómine-Lozano, J. y Luciano, C. (2006). Locus de control y autorregulación conductual: revisiones conceptual y experimental. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 6(3), 729-751.

De Grande, P. (2014). Reflections on the Interpretation of the Locus of Control Concept in Social Research. Pensando Psicología, 10(17), 127-134. https://doi.org/10.16925/pe.v10i17.795

Download Citation

As the author of the article, I declare that is an original unpublished work exclusively created by me, that it has not been submitted for simultaneous evaluation by another publication and that there is no impediment of any kind for concession of the rights provided for in this contract.

In this sense, I am committed to await the result of the evaluation by the journal Pensando Psicología before considering its submission to another medium; in case the response by that publication is positive, additionally, I am committed to respond for any action involving claims, plagiarism or any other kind of claim that could be made by third parties.

At the same time, as the author or co-author, I declare that I am completely in agreement with the conditions presented in this work and that I cede all patrimonial rights, in other words, regarding reproduction, public communication, distribution, dissemination, transformation, making it available and all forms of exploitation of the work using any medium or procedure, during the term of the legal protection of the work and in every country in the world, to the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia Press.

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 17 (2014)

Published

2014-12-15

Downloads

PDF (Spanish)

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

https://plu.mx/plum/a/?doi=10.16925/pe.v10i17.795