This summary struck me as concise and well thought out. Two good points - Is the questionnaire measuring what it says it does? How does culture affect locus of control?


Locus of Control - Attributional Style

First, there was some question as to the validity of this questionnaire. Does the questionnaire
actually measure long-term locus of control &attributional style, or short-term mood/recent
experiences? For example, in answering the question "Does lack of effort always produce a low
mark?," one might answer "almost never" if they had recently studied hard and received a low
grade. If one had just received a high grade, one might answer "almost always". Someone with a positive self-concept in our society would have an attributional style that ascribes internal forces with success or failure. One member of our group felt that attributional style changed rapidly, on a daily, even hourly basis, depending on mood and experience. Another group member felt that attributional style would be difficult to change because it relates to how much control you believe you have over your life. Finally, a movement away
from an attributional style that associated external factors with success or failure would likely improve self-concept. One final note: attributional style and culture may be interrelated. Our "individualistic" society
may put more emphasis on an internal locus of control, than other societies that place more
importance on luck/fate.