Locus of control is the degree to which people believe they control their own fate. People with an internal locus of control believe they control their own destinies. They’re more likely to take responsibility for consequences and rely on their own internal standards of right and wrong to guide their behavior. They’re also more likely to be consistent in their moral judgments and actions. People with an external locus believe that what happens to them is due to luck or chance. They’re less likely to take personal responsibility for the consequences of their behavior and more likely to rely on external forces.
Locus of control is a personality dimension in which people who have an internal locus feel they have control over what happens to them, and people with an external locus tend to attribute their experiences to outside forces or other people.