Locus of Control in Antisocial Personality Disorder

Abstract

Internal versus external control, often referred to as locus of control, refers to the degree to which persons expect that a reinforcement or an outcome of their behavior is contingent on their own behavior or personal characteristics versus the degree to which persons expect that the reinforcement or outcome is a function of chance, luck, or fate, is under the control of powerful others, or is simply unpredictable (Rotter, 1990). Locus of control is currently one of the most studied variables in psychology. Locus of control concept was introduced by Julian B. Rotter. In line with the major tenets of the cognitive social learning model Rotter has emphasized the importance of subjective expectancies and of a person’s perceived judgment of the reinforcement consequences of his behavior (Millon 1990). A fundamental type of generalized expectancy, according to Rotter, concerns people’s beliefs about whether they or the environment control their reinforcement. Rotter refers to this as the internal versus external control of reinforcement. The impact of reinforcements on behavior will depend, according to Rotter, on whether individuals perceive events to be contingent on their behavior or as independent of it, that is whether or not believe they have control over their environment. At one end of this dimension are those who are internal locus of control types, that is, who perceive rewards as contingent on their own behavior. At the opposite pole are external locus of control types, those who perceive rewards as determined by persons or forces beyond their control.