Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1991

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Robert L. Williams

Abstract

One of the most popular topics in psychological research is Locus of Control (LOC). This construct refers to whether individuals perceive themselves as being in control of their own reinforcement or perceive that their reinforcement is controlled by external forces. In spite of the numerous studies done with LOC, there are still issues that are not well understood. One such issue is the relationship of gender to locus of control. Another issue that needs clarification is whether LOC is best understood as a broad unidimensional construct or a multidimensional construct with several distinct facets. This study had two primary objectives: (1) examining the factor structure of two LOC measures for gender differences and (2) identifying gender differences in the relationship of LOC to mental health variables. The two LOC measures chosen for analysis were Rotter's I-E Scale (Rotter, 1966) and the Personal Influence Form (Williams, Schneider, Pettibone & Thomas, in press), a new scale designed to measure an exaggerated sense of control (maladaptive internality). The study also examined the relative utility of treating LOG as a unidimensional characteristic versus a multidimensional characteristic. The data were collected as part of a larger survey containing a variety of mental health and physical health measures. For this study, the mental health variables used were optimism, self-efficacy, perceived stress, and trait anger. Over 700 subjects (most of whom were college students) participated in the study. Results indicated that there are several distinct gender differences in locus of control. First, the results of factor analysis with both LOG measures indicated differential endorsement of items across gender. Second, factor structures were similar for both sexes on the Rotter scale but much more divergent across gender on the Personal Influence Form. AIso, gender differences were more apparent in minor factors than in major factors. For example, belief in a just world (minor factor) was more important for females, while misfortune (also a minor factor) was more important for males. Some gender differences were found in the relationship of both LOG measures to one of the mental health variables—social self-efficacy. Social self-efficacy demonstrated significant relationships with several facets of LOG for females but was essentially unrelated to LOG for males. Finally, gender differences in the Personal Influence Form indicate that males are more likely to perceive themselves as being in control of uncontrollable events than are females. The results of this investigation support the position that locus of control is a multidimensional construct and that treating locus of control as a unidimensional construct masks gender differences. The implications of these findings are discussed and some potential directions for future research are suggested.

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