Locus Of Control Essay

614 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on sports psychology

When people learn the deeper meaning of something, it is usually about a novel or Shakespeare; it is not usually about themselves. I recently learned some things about myself that shook me up and spit me out. While reading the about the locus of control, I learned that I have both an internal and external locus of control. However, after reading “Invictus,” by William Ernest Henley, I realized I do not want to be a person who blames others for my failures. I need to better myself to let things go and move on with my life. “Invictus” could have given me strength in dark times and help me to be a person with a more internal locus of control.
First, I am a person with an equal internal and external locus of control. As much as I want to see myself a good person, I do blame others. When I am in a situation that does not benefit me, I have the tendency to tell myself it is someone else’s fault. I don’t stop to think that maybe I could have tried harder or that I am to blame. Part of me always wondered why I kept doing this; I realized why when I read the locus of control. In other situations, though, I blamed myself. I could have tried harder, or knew I was simply not the best. Reading “Invictus” cemented the idea that if I change my …show more content…

Before my parents divorced, I was a very anxious and self-doubting person. My father may have been somewhat attentive while I was growing up, but he got more and more overbearing until it was emotional abuse. He would call my sister and I mean names and tell us we were failures. He also was always putting my mother down in front of us. “Invictus” could have helped me a lot through this; I would have been a different person. The last two lines of the poem have changed my outlook on life significantly, especially where my father is concerned. It is true that he has scarred me emotionally, but “I am the captain of my soul” (Henley), and God is the master of my

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Equality In Ayn Rand's Invictus And Anthem

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Invictus has faced adversity and affliction first hand, however neither, have deterred him from succeeding, “I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul” (Henley 15-16). Invictus does not necessarily have control of what happens to him in life, but he can determine the way in which he lives his life. Despite the cruel circumstances he faces, Invictus always returns to faith in himself. With his unconquerable soul, he remains positive and perseveres. He is victorious through his own life as he is persistent amongst all the adversity. Likewise, Equality illustrates a sense of tenacity, as he strives to create a new society. Equality finds the purpose for his existence, not in humanity but in himself and in each individual man, “I am. I think. I will” (Rand 94). Although Equality faced great tribulation, he remains confident in his pursuit for a better life and society. Despite powerful pressure from society to conform, he did not betray the values which he deems important. He accepts damnation from his fellow citizens, rather than surrender to them his light and his mind. Equality did not surrender his creative work no matter the degree or variety of difficulties he encounters. This persistence is a measure of his integrity, he lives by his convictions regardless of the obstacles that confront him. Both Invictus and Equality possess determination as in spite of the difficulty faced, they persisted their goals and

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Social Animal By David Brooks

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    In my own words, I believe that self-control is a deliberate attempt to change the way one thinks and acts about something. For instance, during the month of March, I am on a restricted diet to try to find food triggers to my daily migraines. When I first started, I had to remind myself constantly that at breakfast I wasn’t going to grab a glass of milk, or at lunch, that I wasn’t going to make myself a sandwich. I didn’t realize how hard this was going to be when I first started. There are still times, 15 days after starting, that I am reminded by my mom or dad that I can’t eat certain foods or that I have to pack my own dinner because where we go for dinner won’t have food that I can eat. Every day, I am retraining my mind at how I look at food. I am having to constantly shift my mind away from the long list of food I can’t eat and focus on food that I can. The way that I shift my thoughts of food, is similar to how Erica in Brooks’ book had to shift her thoughts to focus on her tennis match going on. It is a constant rewiring of how the brain looks at the world around us. This process is not easy, and takes a lot of work and time. However, as time progresses, it does get easier. Growing up, I missed a several years of my childhood due to tragedies that occurred. Going through the aftermath of some of the hardships I was facing, I developed an isolated mindset. I thought that if I didn’t get close to people, than I couldn’t get hurt by them as well.

    Read More

  • Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    “ In order to live with direction and an understanding of what is going on around you, one must understand and know what goes on inside himself.” - William Page

    Read More

  • A Literary Analysis Of 'A Story' By Li-Young Lee

    1200 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poem is written in the father’s point of view; this gives insight of the father’s character and

    Read More

  • In The Body Of Doris Creed Analysis

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    When a group of people are in a situation where something goes wrong, their natural response is to not want any fault in the situation. Humanity as a whole is striving towards perfection, and part of that is never being wrong. When characters are presented with a tragedy or a problem, most shift responsibility to other people or to the circumstances they were given. Admitting fault in the situation is usually the right thing to do, but being at fault is something that people can’t deal with because of their natural want for perfection. A good analogy is like a stream of water going down a hill: when something it placed in it’s way, it diverts to the path of least resistance. The responsibility, which is like the water, gets shifted and turned

    Read More

  • Misreading Situations In Atonement

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    The brain has a fascinating way of dealing with difficult situations that are not easily solvable. It has the ability to process information on a subconscious level in such a way that enables it to construct reasons and assumptions for various situations. This coping mechanism is the brain’s way of bringing structure into otherwise unruly moments in time. Although this may be useful in some situations, assuming numerous outcomes has the potential to wreak havoc on not only those who think this way but also all those around them. Assumptions have the ability to cause strife and angst among groups of people. In the novel Atonement, Ian McEwan establishes that misreading situations can lead to drastic consequences which have the ability to change the course of history, demonstrating that the human condition is keen to creating order within the chaotic world by subconsciously fabricating fictitious stories.

    Read More

  • Freewill And Fate In Oedipus The King

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    The argument on whether free will or fate governs the destinies of human beings has been the main topic of many great writings, such as the tragic tale of Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles. Oedipus demonstrated to have a fulfilling praise life by many to see, however he had a past or a fate unknown to him. For the past, he knew, was a complete lie, everything he thought to be true was false. “Guilt is a powerful affliction. You can try to turn your back on it, but that’s when it sneaks up behind you and eats you alive. Some people struggle to understand their own guilt, unwilling or unable to justify the part they play in it. Others run away from their guilt, shedding their conscience until there’s no conscience

    Read More

  • Life Lessons Learned by Odysseus: Homer

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    At one time in our lives, Odysseus and I have learned how vital using self-control can be. When Odysseus wanted to listen to the Sirens after the goddess Circe told him he shouldn’t, that was a lack of self-control on his part. Consequently, in order to not stray toward the Siren’s beautiful island, he needed to be tied to the mast of his ship. His crew literally restrained him and held him down so he wouldn’t disentangle himself. Due to the beeswax in their ears, the crew was unaffected by the Siren’s lovely tune. Odysseus also had to use self-control when he ventured to Lord Helios’ island, where the best cows in the world resided. After specific instruction of not to travel that way, what happened? Of course, he sailed there. All of Odysseus’ men greedily feasted on the cows; however, Odysseus did not. He displayed an example of self-control. Zeus looked down upon the men who ate the cattle with pity, and struck their ship with a lightning bolt. The powerful blast exterminated every single man but Odysseus; therefore, making Polyphemus’ prayer against Odysseus to Poseidon come true. I have also learned to use self-control. When I am performing poorly in sports, I sometimes want to lash out and blame my mediocre performance on others, or just quit and walk out. But I know that if I keep my head up, things will come around; it’s just hard to realize it at the time. Last summer, I was playing terribly in a golf tournament. In fact, my performance was so humiliating I ...

    Read More

  • Restraints Essay

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    Restraints limit a patient’s movement. This brings up many ethical debates and issues. There are certain guidelines that should be followed when it comes to using restraints. It is important to know the different kinds of restraints, how to apply a physical restraint properly and how to administer a chemical restraint safely. It is important to consider alternatives as the use of restraints can present risk and negative outcomes.

    Read More

  • Masters and Gautama: A Synthesis of Buddhist Philosophy

    2399 Words  | 5 Pages

    These two texts clearly illustrate the potential every person has to change themselves, their lives, by simply turning around and evaluating the way they see and interpret the world. Together they demonstrate how anyone can rise over the problems of their past, reject what they’ve grown accustomed to thinking of as normal, in an effort to better themselves.

    Read More

  • A Pivotal Person In My Life

    496 Words  | 1 Pages

    I then looked at myself and the decisions I’ve been making throughout my life and decided that it was not anything my father would be proud of me doing so I made the choice to do better not only for myself but for him. My first tattoo I chose was my father’s name “Ramon” because whenever I decide that I am going to make a good or bad decision I realize that he is watching over me. I once heard a quote that stated: “Before you pick up the phone, before you dial a number, before you do anything, check your heart.” Which is why I always strive to be the person I can be, but nobody is perfect because as human-beings we all are going to experience trials and tribulations. Losing my father made me open my eyes as I became more maturer to realize that I should be completing my work and not always being nonchalant. Therefore the only thing that keeps my head up every morning I wake up is knowing that I am working towards my goals in life to make my father

    Read More

  • The Art Of Blame Analysis

    1896 Words  | 4 Pages

    The art of blame has plagued all societies since humans have had the ability to process the rightness and wrongness of a situation. Even the most notable and praised philosophers of all time have taken notice to the illness known as blame and blame's companion, guilt. These two feelings occur in people and can be affected by any difficult circumstance a person may come across. As Plato gracefully informed society, “[i]n their misfortunes, people tend to blame fate, gods and everything else, but not themselves” (qtd. in “Status Minds” n.pag.). The acknowledgment Plato makes to blame and how people accuse others is important to the understanding of guilt; similarly, the understanding of how acting this way is a problem

    Read More

  • Reflective Essay: The Locus Of Control Assessment

    432 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Locus of Control assessment shows how much a person believes they have control over the events that occur within their life. However, I am a person that is multitasking I prefer to work alone so I can hold self-accountable for my actions, although the field I am employed in requires my working with a team. I retain shared information, think it over then discuss to see if new options arise. My score was a 4 which to me means I am a person with an internal locus of control. However, a person with external locus control blames the events in their lives on outside forces (Paul et. al, 2017). Moreover, Multiple Intelligence assessments is an assessment which shows the different ways a person learn which include eight bits of intelligence that influence the way person processes information.

    Read More

  • Social Control Essay

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    It 's all about social control. Social control is what regulates people 's thoughts, feelings, appearance, and behavior in social systems. Is what society uses to influence the behavior of people to maintain order. Social control, controls the behavior and actions of individuals to balance their social situation. In order for society to maintain an specific norm, it has to exercise a certain control over it 's members. An example of social control theory is the criminal justice system, and the armed forces could be also helpful to perform this role. A way to maintain social control could be through coercion by imprisoning those who commit a crime. The problem of social control is that some institutions abuse of it to manipulate minorities. In this case, "the war on drugs" is much related to social control because those who are targeted the most are minorities, to be more specific

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Attitude In Education

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today, students have gotten into the habit of blaming others for their mistake, or their failures. In his book, Sanders wrote about students who “blamed their struggles on the professor’s teaching style” (20). In high school, I took a spinning class. I was excited because I had taken a class the year before with a different teacher. The teacher this semester, however, had no idea what he was doing. He was the football coach, not a spinning instructor. He would come into class everyday tell us to run a couple laps, then get on the bikes and “run” or “jog” or “climb” or “squat” on the bikes. He would then leave the room and go next door to the weight room and talk with another coach until class was over. He never came and checked on us, so everyone, except a few students, just lounged around and barely moved on the bikes. I unfortunately was one of the lazy kids who did nothing all class period. At the end of the semester I was so mad because the class hadn’t really done anything for me. I hadn’t lost the weight I wanted to, like I had the year before. I blamed my lack of effort on the teacher, when in all reality it was my fault. I knew what I needed to do and how to do it, but I chose not

    Read More

More about Locus Of Control Essay

Open Document