Locus Of Control And Stress

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Investigating the Link between Locus of Control and Stress Abstract Objective To investigate how Locus of Control and stress are related. This will be investigated by testing the strength of association between locus of control score and professional life stress score. Design The study used a questionnaire design. The results of the questionnaire were then compared with scores from the professional life stress score in a correlational manner. Method Participants were first asked to complete a short questionnaire consisting of 3 closed questions related to the levels of stress in their lives. They then filled out a Professional Life Stress Scale test, consisting of 22 closed questions which measured the level of stress in participants’ lives. After this they took a Locus of Control test, which consisted of 20 statements which they had to rate their agreement with on a scale of 1 to 6. Some statements pointed to an internal and some to an external locus of control. Results Scatter graphs showed that a higher internal locus of control was negatively correlated with professional life stress scores. Analysis of the results found this correlation to be significant. The scatter graph for the short stress test results and the professional life stress scores showed a positive correlation which was also found to be significant. Conclusion Results suggest that a higher internal locus of control is beneficial in preventing stress and that people with an internal locus of control have an advantage in avoiding stress over people with an external locus of control. Introduction Stress is defined as, ‘mental, emotional, or physical strain caused by anxiety or overwork’. It is a common part of many people’s everyday lives and in extreme cases can be treated with anti anxiety drugs, or more natural alternatives such as
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