Locus of Control Scale

This questionnaire assesses your opinions about certain issues. Each item consists of a pair of alternatives marked with a or b. Select the alternative with which you most agree. If you believe both alternatives to some extent, select the one with which you most strongly agree. If you do not believe either alternative, mark the one with which you least strongly disagree. Since this is an assessment of opinions, there are obviously no right or wrong answers. When you have finished each item, turn to the scoring key for instructions on how to tabulate the results and for comparison data. This questionnaire is similar, but not identical, to the original locus of control scale developed by Julian Rotter. The comparison data provided in the scoring key comes from research using Rotter’s scale instead of this one. However, the two instruments assess the same concept, are the same length, and their mean scores are similar.

1. a. Leaders are born, not made.
b. Leaders are made, not born.

2. a. People often succeed because they are in the right place at the right time.
b. Success is mostly dependent on hard work and ability.

3. a. When things go wrong in my life, it’s generally because I have made mistakes.
b. Misfortunes occur in my life regardless of what I do.

4. a. Whether there is war or not depends on the actions of certain world leaders.
b. It is inevitable that the world will continue to experience wars.

5. a. Good children are mainly products of good parents.
b. Some children turn out bad no matter how their parents behave. 6. a. My future success depends mainly on circumstances I can’t control.
b. I am the master of my fate.

7. a. History judges certain people to have been effective leaders mainly because circumstances made them visible and successful.
b. Effective leaders are those who have made decisions or taken actions that resulted in significant contributions.

8. a. Avoiding punishing children guarantees that they will grow up irresponsible.
b. Spanking children is never appropriate.

9. a. I often feel that I have little influence over the direction my life is taking.
b. It is unreasonable to believe that fate or luck plays a crucial part in how my life turns out.

10. a. Some customers will never be satisfied no matter what you do.
b. You can satisfy customers by giving them what they want when they want it. 11. a. Anyone can get good grades in school by working hard enough.
b. Some people are never going to excel in school no matter how hard they try.

12. a. Good marriages result when both partners continually work on the relationship.
b. Some marriages are going to fail because the partners are just incompatible.

13. a. I am confident that I can improve my basic management skills through learning and practice. b. It is a waste of time to try to improve management skills in a classroom. 14. a. More management skills courses should be taught in business schools.
b. Less emphasis should be put on skills in business schools. 15. a. When I think back on the good things that happened to me, I believe they happened mainly because of something I did. b. The bad things that have happened in my life have mainly resulted from circumstances outside my control.

16. a. Many exams I took in school were unconnected to the material I had studied, so studying hard didn’t help at all.
b. When I prepared well for exams in school, I generally did quite well.

17. a. I am sometimes influenced by what my astrological chart says. b. No matter how the stars are lined up, I can determine my own destiny.

18. a. Government is so big and bureaucratic that it is very difficult for any one person to have any impact on what happens. b. Single individuals can have a real influence on politics if they will speak up and let their wishes be known.

19. a. People seek responsibility in work. b. People try to get away with doing as little as they can. 20. a. The most popular people seem to have a special, inherent charisma that attracts people to them. b. People become popular because of how they behave.

21. a. Things over which I have little control just seem to occur in my life. b. Most of the time I feel responsible for the outcomes I produce.

22. a. Managers who improve their personal competence will succeed more than those who do not improve. b. Management success has very little to do with the competence possessed by the individual manager.

23. a. Teams that win championships in most sports are usually the teams that, in the end, have the most luck. b. More often than not, teams that win championships are those with the most talented players and the best preparation.

24. a. Teamwork in business is a prerequisite to success. b. Individual effort is the best hope for success.

25. a. Some workers are just lazy and can’t be motivated to work hard no matter what you do. b. If you are a skillful manager, you can motivate almost any worker to put forth more effort. 26. a. In the long run, people can improve this country’s economic strength through responsible action. b. The economic health of this country is largely beyond the control of individuals.

27. a. I am persuasive when I know I’m right. b. I can persuade most people even when I’m not sure I’m right.

28. a. I tend to plan ahead and generate steps to accomplish the goals that I have set. b. I seldom plan ahead because things generally turn out OK anyway. 29. a. Some things are just meant to be. b. We can change anything in our lives by hard work, persistence, and ability.