What is your locus?

Yesterday, a young lady boxer from Hyderabad, sadly ended her life with a dose of poison.

Post the event, theories as to the cause are as usual many. From a harassing coach, to family disputes to simple frustration.Whatever the cause may be, the death siganlled, a sad end to what could have been a promising sporting career......

What drives a person to take his/her own life? What gives them the courage? I'm no psychologist, but by experience, belive that personality has got a good deal to do, with it & also how a person views life or death.

Another aspect of personality, that would effect the current discussuion, is 'Locus of Control'.

What is Locus of Control?

Locus of Control refers to an individual's perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life. Or, more simply:

Do you believe that your destiny is controlled by yourself or by external forces (such as fate, god, or powerful others)?
The full name Rotter gave the construct was Locus of Control of Reinforcement. In giving it this name, Rotter was bridging behavioural and cognitive psychology. Rotter's view was that behaviour was largely guided by "reinforcements" (rewards and punishments) and that through contingencies such as rewards and punishments, individuals come to hold beliefs about what causes their actions. These beliefs, in turn, guide what kinds of attitudes and behaviours people adopt. This understanding of Locus of Control is consistent, for example, with Philip Zimbardo (a famous psychologist):

A locus of control orientation is a belief about whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent on what we do (internal control orientation) or on events outside our personal control (external control orientation)."

Is an internal locus of control desirable?

In general, it seems to be psychologically healthy to perceive that one has control over those things which one is capable of influencing.

In simplistic terms, a more internal locus of control is generally seen as desirable. Having an Internal locus of control can also be referred to as "self-agency", "personal control", "self-determination", etc. Research has found the following trends:

Males tend to be more internal than females

As people get older they tend to become more internal
People higher up in organisational structures tend to be more internal.
However, its important to warn people against lapsing in the overly simplistic view notion that internal is good and external is bad.
There are important subtleties and complexities to be considered. For example:

Internals can be psychologically unhealthy and unstable. An internal orientation usually needs to be matched by competence, self-efficacy and opportunity so that the person is able to successfully experience the sense of personal control and responsibility. Overly internal people who lack competence, efficacy and opportunity can become neurotic, anxious and depressed. In other words, internals need to have a realistic sense of their circle of influence in order to experience 'success'.

Externals on the other hand can lead easy-going, relaxed, happy lives.

Traditionally people from Eastern cultures have been found to be more fatalistic or with an External LOC. It would probably also go to explain why western cultures are materially more successful but also more stressed.

However just hang on..........This is what the Brihadranyaka Upanishad had to say..

Your are what your deep driving desire is,

As your desire is, so is your will,

As your will is, so is your deed,

As your deed is, so is your destiny..........

Did the lady in question have an external LOC and decided that events could not be controlled or was she strongly internal and decided that she was not good enough after about four years in training? Did LOC have anything to do with it at all?

Your guess is as good as mine.................................Please do let me know.