Locus of control determines your stress
Stress for Success
April 3, 2007

If you were passed over for a promotion at work would it be because you blew the job interview or because your boss has it in for you and would never give it to you? Your answer to this type of question indicates whether you have an internal “locus of control” or an external one.

If you believe what happens to you in life is largely determined by fate, luck or other external conditions (the boss is the reason you didn’t get the job) you’re an external. If you think you’re in charge of your own destiny (had I prepared better I might have gotten the promotion) you’re an internal.

Externals think the outcomes in life are largely beyond their control. They stay in undesirable situations longer because they don’t think they have any options, leaving them feeling powerless to change their situation. They see outside forces as the reason that good and bad things happen to them. They haven’t made the connection between their own behavior and their outcomes in life so they feel more at the mercy of outside forces.

This powerlessness leads to more stressful reactions to life’s situations causing greater susceptibility to depression and other health problems. Research is definitive that stress releases more cortisol into your body, causing everything from sleep problems to diabetes to cardio-vascular disease.

Internals believe that they largely control what happens to them; that their skills and efforts determine whether or not they get the promotion. They feel like they have choices in life therefore are more likely to have high self-esteem. They feel happier, freer, more satisfied with life in general and are less stressed. They have better health due to less chronic stress.

So it’s obvious that an internal locus of control is much better for managing stress.

The perception of not having the control you want in a situation is mostly what stress is all about. The less control you think you have the more stressed you’ll be. Powerlessness also leads to a lack of persistence and lower expectations of life.

The key to stress management is problem-solving, which requires you to look for options. If you believe outside forces control your options then you’re likely to wait for something external to solve your problem for you.


Internals see themselves as responsible for solving their own stressors and quickly do so. They take charge and don’t wait for someone else to do it for them.

Both internals and externals learned their beliefs from their families, culture and past experiences. Most internals come from families that focused on effort, education and responsibility. Most externals come from families of a lower socioeconomic status where there was a lack of control over their lives or their family experienced significant hardship like serious illness.

If you’d like to determine if you’re an external or internal, go to the Internet and type in “Locus of Control test” and choose which to take. Next week we’ll look at how to develop more of an internal locus of control to lower your stress.

Jacquelyn Ferguson, M. S., of InterAction Associates, is a trainer and a Stress Coach. E-mail her at www.jackieferguson.com with your questions or for information about her workshops on this and other topics and to invite her to speak to your organization.