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The Sense of Personal Control

Social—Structural Causes and Emotional Consequences

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Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

Some people attribute the events and conditions of their lives to their own actions, whereas others believe their lives are shaped by forces external to themselves, such as luck, chance, fate, or powerful others. The sense of personal control is the belief that you can and do master, control, and shape your own life. Its opposite is the sense of personal powerlessness. Thus, perceived control and powerlessness represent two ends of a continuum, with the belief that one can effectively alter the environment on one end of the continuum, and the belief that one’s actions cannot influence events and circumstances at the other.

Late of Duke University, died in February 1998, at the age of 26. He had recently joined the department at Duke as a Ph.D. candidate after receiving his master’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1997. He was a promising, insightful young scholar. He had already contributed greatly to our lives and to research and scholarship in the area of ethnic, cultural, and national differences in physical and psychological well-being.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 43210-1353, USA

    Catherine E. Ross

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  1. Catherine E. Ross
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  2. Jaya Sastry
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 90095-1772, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Carol S. Aneshensel

  2. Division of Sociomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, Columbia University, 10032, New York, New York, USA

    Jo C. Phelan

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Ross, C.E., Sastry, J. (1999). The Sense of Personal Control. In: Aneshensel, C.S., Phelan, J.C. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-36223-1_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-36223-1_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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