A famous cancer specialist once related an interesting tale about two female patients diagnosed with breast cancer. One of them, Mrs X, was positive and took complete responsibility for her treatment – following instructions, attending support groups and researching her disease.
The other, Mrs Y, spent time cursing her fate and doing the rounds of temples around the city. She swung between hope – because her astrologer said she would live till 90 – and desperation as she sobbed and asked the doctor to save her life. No points for guessing who fared better.
Psychology has an interesting theory for the behavior of these two women, known as “locus of control”. Locus of control (LOC) refers to an individual’s personal belief that events that occur in one’s life are either a result of personal control and effort, or outside forces such as luck (Harvey & Thomas, 2004).
Its range extends from strong personal control (internal locus of control) to weak or no personal control (external locus of control). People with an internal LOC believe that they control themselves and accept responsibility for events and their life. Conversely, people with an external LOC believe that their environment, some higher power, or other people, control their decisions and their life.
LOC and healthThe degree of control that one exercises over outcomes – internal and external LOC – is connected to health attitudes. Health locus of control (HLOC) examines the degree to which individuals believe that their health is controlled by internal or external factors.
So people with an external LOC believe that their health outcome is under the control of powerful others (medical professionals) or determined by fate, luck, or chance. On the other hand, people with an Internal LOC characterize health as being the direct result of their own actions.
How does this translate into practice? Obese patients who believed they could lose weight with “magic weight loss pills” or good “luck” were less successful as compared to those who believed that weight management was directly related to their own effort at ensuring a balanced diet and physical activity.
Likewise, smokers with a strong, internal HLOC have been successfully able to quit. Research shows that these people are far more likely to be impacted by the doctor’s report regarding how smoking can affect them and are thus more likely to cut down smoking. A strong internal HLOC has been shown to be beneficial for several conditions including diabetes, hypertension, cardiac disorders, obesity, addictions and cancer.
Develop internal HLOC
Research seems to suggest that those who have a strong internal locus of control typically display behaviors that result in enhancing health and managing disease. You can emulate them by doing the following:
