Back in the Sixties, Julian Rotter posited that those individuals with an internal locus of control, which describes the degree to which individuals perceive that outcomes result from their own behaviors or from forces that are external to themselves, tend to:
+ Engage in activities that will improve their situation
+ Emphasize striving for achievement
+ Work hard to develop their knowledge, skills and abilities
+ Be inquisitive
+ Try to figure out why things turned out the way they did
+ Note information they can use to create positive outcomes in the future
+ Have a more participatory management style
See, Rotter, JB, “Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement,” Psychological Monographs, 80 No. 609, 1966.