Choice or Chance

the difference between Internals and Externals was due to the lower ratings Externals received on the roommate item. The possibility of a longer-term relationship made the Externals a much less attractive choice.

Internality at ten predicted greater educational attainment than Externality for both males and females twenty-six years later.

contingent reinforcement is when a reward or punishment occurs immediately following a behavior or interaction, thus helping establish an “expectancy link” that future similar behaviors will produce similar predictable consequences.

“A variable that measures freedom of choice and locus of control is found to predict life satisfaction better than any other known factor such as health, employment, income, marriage or religion across and within countries.” If he were going to bet on what variables would best predict life satisfaction anywhere in the world, Verme says, “my money w

Internals have a greater “tribal” commitment to their organization than do Externals. They are fiercely loyal and determined to see things through for the protection and well-being of their people. Because they seem adept at solving problems, having Internals around for the long haul is good for business, regardless of what the business is about.

Counselors helped the students become aware of how their Externality was reflected in their speech and how their External speech affected how they thought.

To test whether enabling parents would have External children, scales were given to parents of honors students and parents of students at risk for dropping out of high school. With both sets of parents, the researchers found that the higher the scores on the enabling scale, the greater the Externality of the adolescents, regardless of gender. It ap

what are we doing in place of the walking, running, and biking that ought to be occupying our time? The answer is disquieting. The time we and our children should be engaged in doing healthy things, we instead are spending in front of some kind of screen—watching television, using a computer, or playing a video game. Recent surveys show we are spen

“Internals perceived their families as being organized, but with little conflict; in such a family a person can express him- or herself without fear of being controlled by others. Moreover, internals perceive their family as an active one that values independence and cultural as well as recreational activities.”