Rotter’s introduction of Locus of Control (LOC) as part of his social learning theory in 1966 has generated a huge amount of research in this area. An internal LOC has been shown to be beneficial in almost every aspect of life including educational attainment, professional success, mental and physical health. An internal individual is more likely to perceive that their own actions can affect any given outcome, whilst an external individual believes that whatever happens to them is beyond their control (down to luck or chance). It is often triggered by a novel event – and depending on orientation may depend on how an individual copes with that event. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents & Children (ALSPAC) has measured LOC over time (detailed elsewhere), but this data note concentrates on the two most recent sweeps: fortuitously, collected both before and after the COVID pandemic (2020 and 2022) in both the parent and offspring cohorts. LOC measured at intervals over about 30 years in the parents and over 20 years in the offspring make an exciting resource for researchers in physical and mental health, ageing, well-being, education, entrepreneurial success, addictive behaviours, beliefs and behaviours, and resilience for example.
Iles-Caven et al. (Sun,) studied this question.