In 1954 Julian Rotter, an American psychologist, coined the phrase Locus of control. The degree to which people believe that they can influence their life through the choices they make. Those with an internal locus of control take responsibility and praise or blame themselves for the levels of success or failure that they have reached. Hard work brings positive outcomes. Those with an extrinsic locus of control rather tend to blame factors outside of their control for their success or failure things like, luck, fate, destiny and other people or circumstances rather than themselves.
A college student with a strong internal locus of control will associate good grades with a sense of hard work and effort and not natural born talent. An athlete with a strong internal locus of control will blame a lost race on his own lack of effort and level of preparation instead of bad luck.
Locus of control has been the subject of research for many psychologists over the last few decades and studies...