Having an "External Locus of Control" can lead to feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and depression, yet this is rarely mentioned when we talk about depression and its treatment. What is an External Locus of Control and how can it contribute to feelings of depression?
A Locus of Control refers to the extent to which a person believes they can influence or control events in their lives. It also describes what a person believes about the causes of events in their life. Most of us range somewhere in the middle when it comes to Locus of Control. We believe we can influence some things (i.e. our health) but recognize we cannot affect others (i.e. the weather). There are two kinds of Locus of Control; Internal and External. For the purpose of simplification I will describe the two extremes of Locus of Control, but be aware that most of us fall somewhere in the middle.
A person with a high Internal Locus of Control believes they contribute significantly to how things happen in their life. People with a high Internal Locus of Control may hold beliefs such as;
- My vote makes a difference, so it's important that I vote.
- My behavior has a huge effect on my health so it's important that I eat well, exercise regularly, avoid smoking and other harmful behaviors and get regular medical checkups.
- I made a bad grade on that test because I didn't study hard enough. Next time I will study harder and get a better grade.
- I didn't get that job because I didn't have the same credentials or experience as the other applicants. I'll keep going to school and working at night to improve my resume and apply again in the future.
By contrast, people with a high External Locus of Control believe that they are largely powerless in their own lives. They attribute events in their lives to powers outside their control. Examples of thought patterns of people with a high External Locus of Control might be:
- It doesn't matter whether I vote or not. They (the powers that be) elect who they want.
- It doesn't really matter what I do for my health, cancer runs in my family and it's just a matter of time.
- I made a bad grade on that test because the teacher doesn't like me, so it doesn't matter what I do. I just have to get into another class.
- Getting a job is a shot in the dark. They either like you or they don't. There's not really much you can do about it.
How does a high External Locus of Control contribute to depression? In two different ways. First, it affects the way a depressed person views the world. Second, it affects the way a depressed person approaches a bout of depression.
People with a high Internal Locus of Control are less likely to feel helpless or hopeless in their lives. Because they feel they are the captain of their own ship they feel able to make changes in their lives to achieve desired outcomes. People with a high External Locus of Control feel they cannot change their lives. They often feel they are at the mercy of the "powers that be" (whatever they perceive those powers to be) and that they cannot change the outcome. This can lead to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness which contribute significantly to depression. It may also contribute to the phenomenon called "Learned Helplessness" in which a person has learned through experiences in their life that they are powerless to change or control things or remove themselves from harm or danger. This powerlessness leads to feelings of depression. Martin Seligman's experiments with dogs demonstrated the phenomenon of Learned Helplessness. Two groups of dogs were subjected to electrical shocks but were given a bar by which they could stop the shocks. These dogs recovered quickly when removed from the experiment. A third group of dogs were exposed to the shocks, but not given a means for stopping the shocks. They quickly learned that they were powerless to stop the shocks. Even in future experiments when they were given a bar they could press and stop the shocks, they did not use it. They simply stood docilely and endured the shocks. After the experiment stopped, the dogs in this third group exhibited symptoms of clinical depression. An External Locus of Control can contribute to these same feelings of helplessness and depression if a person believes there is nothing they can do to stop what is happening to them. The have learned to be helpless and powerless.
A person's Locus of Control can also contribute to how they approach a bout of depression. A person with a high Internal Locus of Control will research depression and look for things they can do to help themselves. They may change their diet, start an exercise program, reduce stressors in their life, make a point of getting more sunshine, and force themselves to get out of the house and socialize. A person with a high External Locus of Control may focus only on what a doctor or therapist can do for them. They will not look for what they can do for themselves. They give the power to overcome the depression totally to the clinician. Working with people who have a high External Locus of Control may feed a clinician's ego because the clinician is viewed as all powerful in treating the depression, but it does little for the client's self-esteem. It also feeds into the hopelessness and helplessness of their depression.
If you have depression, it would be a good idea to examine your beliefs and thoughts to see what you attribute your depression to. Do you feel you are able to do something about it or that it is beyond your control? Are your beliefs based on reality or were they learned somewhere along the way? If they were learned, are they still true?
If you want to read more about Learned Helplessness, Martin Seligman's book, "Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
See also: "Treat Your Own Depression - Naturally" and "How Depression is Like Diabetes" for more information or browse the "Depression" section of this blog.