Locus of Control

 Locus of Control is the way a person judges the things that happen in their life. There are two types of forces that go along with this concept and they are external and internal forces. People who believe that their lives are controlled by external forces are those who see changes in their lives due to things happening to them. People who believe that their lives are controlled by internal forces are those who see changes in lives due to the things that they do. A person's locus of control isn't always just external or internal, it can fall anywhere between the two. I recently took a questionnaire called Rotter's Locus of Control Scale and my results show that I fall in the mid range of these but more on the internal locus of control end. I found this interesting and would recommend this questionnaire to those who have not taken it because it really gave me a better perspective of how I view my life situations. 

Locus of Control is a very important concept to understand and I believe it will be especially important in being an OT. By having an understanding of this concept and insight into how people view their situations will be helpful when working with future clients. Being able to identify a person's locus of control you can find their motivation and driving force for participating in life, which is certainly important if you are an OT. In addition to helping your clients, this will also give you more insight into your own life views and be potentially a better practitioner from it.