How do you see it? (Internal/External LoC)

                Generally speaking, I am the type of person who believes that I am in charge of my destiny; I have confidence in knowing that if I put forth the effort, good things will come from it.  Before today, I did not know that my views had anything to do with internal/external locus of control; I honestly had not heard of the LoC theory until doing the assignment. After completing the assignment, I found that my score was an 11 indicating that I was closer to the “internal locus of control” category versus the “external locus of control” counterpart.  I now know that people who have an internal locus of control believe that they play a large part in shaping their future. They believe that they can control what they can, and what they cannot, they do not stress or worry over. People who resonate more with the external LoC tend to believe that their life depends on external factors; that their successes/failures are not in their control. This is a theory that is very important in the occupational therapy field due to the fact that we interact with various individuals with different personalities. Knowing this theory may help us as future OT’s better engage with clients.

                Being privy to the LoC theory can be very beneficial for occupational therapists. For instance, if a therapist had a client who was very persistent and adamant on doing activities “on their own”, having an understanding of the LoC would allow him/her to know that the client may have a very high internal LoC. The therapist would then know that the “just right” intervention for that client would be giving them independent activities; this may be more beneficial to the client’s functional performance because they feel as if they are in control. Understanding the LoC is also valuable for therapists who may have clients that are not motivated to complete the activities or have a rebuttal for each suggestion they make. Knowing that the client may have a high external LoC gives the therapist the opportunity to engage with those clients in ways that are most impactful for them. Even though the LoC theory stems from people’s personalities, we as therapist can help our clients (and ourselves) take on a more internal LoC approach.

                As we know, the brain is the most powerful muscle that we as humans have. Our brains control our thoughts, and that determines our actions. One of the main things a person can do to achieve a higher internal LoC is to speak positive affirmations over themselves. Once a person starts saying a statement consistently they start to believe it; once they believe it, they start to act on it. This is a simple activity a therapist can do with his/her client by simply suggesting that they remove negative words from their sentences, such as “I can’t”, “ I will never”, or “I’m horrible”. Instead, have them realize that they have a choice; they can choose how to look at situations, they can choose what to focus on and so much more. This is also a concept that is helpful to us as future OT’s, especially during this pandemic. We can choose to focus on the negative or we can pull ourselves up by the boot-straps and move forward.