The "Locus of Control" concept

[Frankychan]

I'm studying cross cultural psychology and we are discussing the idea of "Locus of Control": The concept where our perception of control differs across from person to person.

The idea is that our perception of control can be internal or external. Internal Locus of Control is where our own behaviors. relationships, and interaction with the environment are influenced by ourselves. An External Locus of Control differs in the fact that our perception of control over all these things are from outside "forces" that influence our behaviors....another way of saying this is mysticism.

Anyway, I'm researching to see if online communities have any semblance of the concept "Locus of Control".

Your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.

[Bosh]

you mean like blaming Ming for baning us instead of realizing that we were dumbasses when we got banned?

[Frankychan]

Well.......if a person believes that "external" forces caused someone to get banned instead of that same person believing that his/her actions were the reason they were banned....I...guess...?

[Narz]

I did a report on this topic in college, I will dig it up for you.

- Narz

[Frankychan]

wow, thanks! I'll cite you as a reference in my presentation for the class to make sure you get the actual credit.

I'm basically looking to see if online communities possess the concept of "Locus of Control" or if there is no apparent indication of it.

[Narz]

hmm, I can't find it, I must've written it on my parents' computer

[Frankychan]

eh, that's ok. Thanks tho.

[Spiffor]

If I understand correctly what "Locus of Control" means (I didn't know this word before reading this thread), it is about the source of individual behaviour : behaviour that comes from the individual, and behaviour that comes from external pressure.

I think there are traces of "Locus of Control" in online communities.

First, online communities seem to be a place where external pressure doesn't work, because relationship aren't face-to-face, and there is no possible physical coercion towards the users. If you go to some videogames forums, you'll mostly see rude people shoutin "F- you, you gay jew" or other niceties like that to each other. In this meaning, an internet forum can be a place where people act according to their whims, and lose all inhibitions they have in the real world. Here on 'Poly, we have an example of such a loss at inhibition, it is Asher : he admitted to be a very discreet guy in real life, and he turns out to be one of the most successful trolls here.

But internet forums don't equate internet communities. On most big forums, there is a big turnover in users, so that users don't take time to make become acquaintances. But a community is defined by the stability of its membership, and the fact that many members know each others for months, if not for years. As such, a too 'egoistic' behaviour can result in a reputation loss, which becomes something the user might want to avoid.
This brings modifications to the user's behaviour, even though it doesn't necessary change it deeply. For example, the user may want to avoid the use of smear words, or may avoid starting a troll that'll hurt other people's feeling. You might want to check Bourdieu's concept of Symbolic Violence about this, it is very interesting (don't read Bourdieu's books directly, it is hell).

Also, on internet communities, the powers of moderators have more impact than in high-turnover forums. A long ban or a permaban can become a real punishment for daily user of an internet community, whereas it is a mere annoyance in other forums. So, users of stable Internet communities have to watch it.

[Frankychan]

Sorry, I should have been more clear. You're right in that it describes a persons behavior, but the book I am reading dichotomizes the Locus of Control into internal and external groups.

For instance, it (the book) gives the example that Americans tend to have a higher internal Locus of Control than asians. This is due to the fact that most Americans believe that they possess more of a sense of individuality and that their own actions are one of the largest factors in influencing their behavior.

You bring up a good point on separating Forums from Communities that I didn't take into consideration. Personally, I think for this site, the Forum IS a community....where we have individual posters who stick around and give their views. It's true that in other forums, everything seems more bland with less interpersonal communication (albeit the internet IS based on relative anonymity).

I'm glad to hear your input on this concept, Spiffor. You've actually helped out my research by pointing out things that I did not take into consideration.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Frankychan
Personally, I think for this site, the Forum IS a community....

Absolutely, but some forum aren't. I've seen forums where people just come to find some info, and go once they have them. When playing massively online RPGs (Ultima Online), you can notice the difference between daily users who all know each other and newbies who are here for short, and won't stay long either.

The biggest difference in between an internet community and a mere communication platform (whether forum, chat, etc.) is the stability of its membership. Some forums, chats or MMORPGs are communities, some aren't.
To some extent, on 'Poly, we have non-community forums when new games bring a bunch of newbies, half of whom won't stay more than two weeks.

[Richard Bruns]

I am somewhat familiar with the concept of a locus of control. I would disagree with the comment that an external locus of control is equivalent to mysticism. There is nothing mystical about caving into peer pressure or doing what you think other poeple want you to do.

IIRC, people with an internal locus of control tend to be more confident and successful than those with an external locus, as well as being less stressed. But this can also lead to stronger feelings of pride and guilt, since the person feels fully responsible for whatever happened.

[Urban Ranger]

Okay, I think that this locus of control issue isn't black-and-white, i.e. not either external or internal. I think it is very dependent on a lot of things, such as the person's character, the exact issue at hand, relevant context and environment.

For example, suppose you are considering of finding a place for lunch. If you are alone, maybe you will not go to McD's because the food is bland and greasy. However, if they have some kind of special giveaway (like a Snoopy toy) that your SO wants, this becomes an external influence.

[Frankychan]

R. Burns-Well, mysticism could be another inference to spirituality (i.e. fate, destiny). External Locus of Controls might not necessarily mean peer pressure....but I do understand your point. True in that individuals may possess stronger feelings of pride and guilt because of feelings of responisibility. But I'm not quite sure about these individuals become more confident and successful.

U. Ranger-Yup. That's what a lot of sociologists and psychologists are trying to refute this idea. Additionally, some people have found differences cross-nationally. For instance, an East Coast American may rate differently than West Coast Americans.

Thanks for your guys input on this. I'm glad we can discuss this because I want to see others point of views on this subject........I got a presentation and this topic is pretty confusing.