External Scorers Research Articles

Personality correlates of health locus of control with medical inpatients.

Correlations between the Health Locus of Control scale and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Self-rating Depression Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were examined for 114 male, medical and surgical inpatients. Health Locus of Control scores were partitioned into health internal scorers and health external scorers. Significant differences were obtained on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory neurotic triad, with health external scorers exhibiting more serious personality profiles. Considerable variance of scores on health internality could be accounted for by similar variance in responses to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and Self-rating Depression Scale. Implications for clinical treatment and differential health care intervention were discussed.

Defensive externality and vulnerability to life stress.

Research ( 2 ) suggests an external locus of control is less effective in helping one deal with stressful life events. Hochreich ( 1 ) has identified two subgroups of externally oriented subjects: defensive external persons, whose externality is presumed to reflect primarily a verbal technique of defense, and congruent external ones, whose externality reflects a more genuine belief that most outcomes are determined by forces beyond their personal control. She sees those with a defensive external orientation as ambitious, achievement-oriented individuals who are more responsive to failure than congruent external persons. The present study sought to determine whether it is the defensive external persons who are least effective in dealing with stressful life events. Subjects were 91 male students in introductory psychology. Using a score of 11 for Rotter's I-E scale, subjeccs were assigned to groups as having internal or external loci of control. Using Hochreich's procedure, subjects mith scores below the median on Rotter's ( 3 ) Interpersonal Trust Scale were identified as defensive and those above the median as congruent. Subjects also completed the Life Experiences Survey ( 4 ) which indicated the number of stressful life events experienced in the previous year and their impact and the Cornell Index ( 5 ) . a screening rest which assesses one's current degree of psychological and somatic distress. Pearson product-moment correlations were computed between impact of negative life-change scores and Cornell Index scores for 30 defensive external scorers .57 ( p .05), and 23 congruent internal scorers . I 7 ( P > .05). These correlations suggest only the defensive external scorers were vulnerable to stress. For congruent external scorers, those with high stress scores actually had lower Cornell Index scores. Apparently, the defensive pattern of blame projection and mistrust employed by defensive external scorers isolates them from potential sources of support in their environment and enhances their vulnerability to stress. The capacity of congruent external persons to attribute misfortune to 'fate but still trust and seek support from others gives them a significant advantage in coping mith stress. These results support Hochreich's suggestion that at least two subgroups of external persons can be identified.

Drinking-related control orientation and alcohol intoxication.

Significant negative correlations (—.60, —28, —.36) were found between Drinking-related Locus of Control scores and semiannual intoxication rates in three different samples totalling 177 subjects. Persons reporting more perceived control over both intrapersonal and interpersonal pressures to drink (internal scorers) became reliably less intoxicated from alcohol during a 6-mo. period than people reporting less control (external scorers).

Coping with Loneliness and Locus of Control

The present study sought to determine the relative ability of internal and external subjects to handle the problem of loneliness. Research by Johnson and Sarason (1978) has suggested that an internal locus of control is much more effective in helping one deal with stressful life events. If this is the case, one should find a positive relationship between degree of loneliness and number of emotional and psychosomatic complaints on the Cornell Medical Index Form N-2 (Weider, Wolff, Brodman, Mittelman, & Wechsler, 1949) for external subjects but not for internal ones. Subjects were 150 college sophomores in introductory psychology. A score of 11, the median, was used to define extercality. Pearson correlations between loneliness scores on the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau, & Ferguson, 1978) and on the Cornell Index were for male internal subjects ( N = 41) .48 ( P .05), for female internal subjects ( N = 35) .38 (P :05). The results indicate positive and significant small to moderate relationships between loneliness and somatic and psychological distress for internal subjects but not external subjects although the correlation for female external scorers falls just short of significance. These results call into question the conclusion of Johnson and Sarason that internal subjects cope better with stress. This certainly is not true for the stress of loneliness. On the contrary, it was particularly the male external subjects who appeared to be least affected by loneliness. This seems to be one of the few areas reported so far in the literature where an external orientation seems to hold some advantage. Whether the advantage is temporary or long-term remains to be determined.

Internality/Externality and Animistic Thinking

The present study investigated the relationship between internality, externality, and children's concept of life. The subjects were 96 children, between 10 and 13 yr. of age, who answered an animism test and a locus of reinforcement control test. The data indicated that 49 internal-scoring children of both sexes had higher animate object scores and lower inanimate object scores than the 47 external-scoring children. This relationship suggested that the internal scorers may have a more accurate concept of life than the external scorers. The authors have proposed that internal and external children may employ different cognitive processes in acquiring the concept of life.

Locus of control and perceived adjustment to life events.

Investigated the relationship between locus of control orientation and perceived adjustment to critical life events. The Locus of Control scale and a modification of the Life Events scale were group administered to undergraduate students. No significant difference was found between internal and external scorers in the number of life events experienced during the 2-year assessment period. As predicted, external scorers reported a significantly more difficult adjustment to life events than internal scorers. The results suggest that it may be important for educators and mental health professionals to promote an internal locus of control orientation as a preventive and remedial approach to adjustment problems.

The effect of structured and unstructured leader roles on internal and external group participants.

This study assessed the impact of structured and unstructured leader roles on measures of outcome for Ss who differed on the pretest dimension "locus of control." On the basis of their pretest locus of control scores, Ss were assigned to a structured or an unstructured marathon group. The treatment in the two 16-hour -arathons consisted of a defined series of exercises; the only difference between the two groups was the degree of leader control over member participation. As predicted, internal Ss in the unstructured group rated the leader and the group more psoitively than did external Ss, while the reverse responsivity occured in the structured group. Significant Locus of Control X Treatment interactions indicated that internal and external Ss reflected differential shifts in general anxiety, general depression, and locus of control as a function of treatment. The relationship between changes in self-actualization and locus of control and changes in conflict-handling styles and negative affects differed as a function of locus of control and treatment condition. The overall results coupled with prior findings tentatively support the appropriateness of an unstructured leader role for internal scores and a structured leader role for external scorers.