Locus of Control
Locus of control-- a fancy term, yet a concept that is simply foundational to how humans view their own circumstances and life choices. A person's locus of control falls on a spectrum between internal and external. Those with a high internal locus of control feel utterly responsible for everything that happens in life, while those with a high external locus of control feel utterly at the will of the world forces around them. I believe that both viewpoints have a place in a balanced life. I personally was a 10 on a 23 point scale (0 being extremely internal and 23 being extremely external). For the most part, I have a deep sense of responsibility for what happens in my daily life: if I eat healthy, get adequate rest, put in ample study time for that test, I assume I will get desirable outcomes. On the other hand, some things, no matter how hard I try, simply don't turn out as I planned. In those instances, I believe it's best to have a sense of humor about life. To make th...