Internal Locus of Control
Today we were given an assignment in order to discover where our locus of control lies. For those of you who have never heard of a locus of control, it has to do how people view their interactions with the world around them. A person with an extreme external locus of control feels they are controlled by the external circumstances of the world while a person with an internal locus of control feels they are controlled more by internal circumstances. The locus of control can have a huge impact on the mindsets of our future clients.
The score, which is supposed to indicate where my locus of control is, fell almost right in the middle of the scale. I scored 11 out of a total of 23 points, which I find really fitting for how I view my own locus of control. I would agree that I do not fully have an internal or external locus of control, probably like most people. Through some self-reflection I have come to notice I have (for the most part) a very realistic viewpoint. Therefore, though I am pretty internally motivated I understand that some situations are out of my control no matter how much I plan and prepare. During certain times in my life however, that realization has been harder to accept than during others. I am aware that I do have very type A tendencies and would love to control every situation I could but that's not always possible.
I think the same thing can be said about being an occupational therapist. After all, adaptability is a cornerstone of our profession. As OTs we plan treatment sessions and goals for clients but things don't always happen like we plan them. One day, a client can be progressing faster than expected then during the next session they might be experiencing a setback. We never fully know how a treatment session with a client will go but it is our job to adapt and make the best of it. It is important to have a little bit of an external locus of control to add some variety to life but to also reinforce humbleness and resiliency in oneself.
That being said, as a future OT practitioner I am very aware that all my clients will not have that self-reflective mindset. As the article mentioned, I will work with clients who are on both extremes of that spectrum, which could potentially make my job very difficult. That being said, it will be important for me to teach my client techniques that will facilitate less of an external locus of control mindset early on. Some times those clients with a very extreme external locus of control mindset are difficult to spot therefore, it will be important that I incorporate techniques aimed at fostering self-reliance with all of my clients.
I think the same thing can be said about being an occupational therapist. After all, adaptability is a cornerstone of our profession. As OTs we plan treatment sessions and goals for clients but things don't always happen like we plan them. One day, a client can be progressing faster than expected then during the next session they might be experiencing a setback. We never fully know how a treatment session with a client will go but it is our job to adapt and make the best of it. It is important to have a little bit of an external locus of control to add some variety to life but to also reinforce humbleness and resiliency in oneself.
That being said, as a future OT practitioner I am very aware that all my clients will not have that self-reflective mindset. As the article mentioned, I will work with clients who are on both extremes of that spectrum, which could potentially make my job very difficult. That being said, it will be important for me to teach my client techniques that will facilitate less of an external locus of control mindset early on. Some times those clients with a very extreme external locus of control mindset are difficult to spot therefore, it will be important that I incorporate techniques aimed at fostering self-reliance with all of my clients.
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