Psychology & Buddhism.pdf

178 Kathleen H. Dockett
the face of repeated obstacles. It is a strong sense of purpose that prevents highly
committed individuals from giving upon their goals and on themselves in times
of stress. In this way, commitments serve as a generalized buffer against the
harmful effects of stress.
Control. Control refers to the belief that one has personal control over the outcomes
of events in one’s life. Our expectations regarding control are a powerful
determinant of our behavior according to an extensive body of research based on
the social learning theory of Julian Rotter (1966). For example, the likelihood that
a person will seek public office, or apply for a highly desirable job, or attempt to
repair an important relationship depends upon their expectation that they will be
successful in those instances. Based upon our experiences of success and failure
within the different domains of our lives, we form generalized beliefs about being
able to control events. These generalized expectations are called locus of control
(LOC) and are defined as a basic personality trait consisting of our beliefs about
the nature of the world and the causes of events, and specifically about how reinforcement
or rewards are controlled (Rotter, 1966).
There are two types of LOC, internal and external. When persons believe
they control the outcomes of their behavior, and that their abilities and personality
characteristics determine their success in achieving a goal, this belief is
labeled internal LOC. “Internals” believe that outcomes in a particular endeavor
are contingent upon their own behavior. On the other hand, when persons believe
that outcomes are not contingent upon their own behavior but are the result of
luck, chance, fate, or powerful external forces over which they have no control,
this is called external LOC. “Externals” believe that no matter what they do, they
cannot control what happens.
In general, the perception that one has control of his or her life is associated
with successful adjustment, while the perception that external forces are in control is
associated with negative outlooks and outcomes (Lefcourt & Davidson-Katz, 1991).
Behavioral differences are apparent between internals and externals. Internals tend
to be more active in mastering their environment, more effective in influencing other
people, and higher achievers, while externals tend to be more passive and apathetic,
feeling powerless to control or change their circumstances. Extreme externality can
have dangerous consequences for one’s mental health. Externals often blame their
environment for events that occur (e.g., “I got a poor grade because the teacher is
unfair.” “There’s no use applying for this job because they won’t hire me anyway.”).
While this defensive maneuver protects the ego from experiencing failure, the
danger is that when we externalize control over the outcomes of our behavior, we
place ourselves in the posture of a victim, inviting feelings of helplessness.
The connection between external LOC and feelings of helplessness, hopelessness,
and depression has been demonstrated in the extensive animal research
of experimental-clinical psychologist Martin Seligman and his colleagues (1967,