A scientist by the name of Julian Rotter observed that individuals differ in their understanding of why things happen to them. The concept of fate is controversial as some believe that they should feel lucky for things that happen to them, rather than take credit for it. Rotter theorized that individuals who blame luck or a higher being as the reason things happen to them fall under the category of ‘external locus of control’. On the other hand, individuals who believe that they are their own driving force behind what happens to them, meaning they take credit for their choices, are a part of the category of ‘internal locus of control’. Rotter argued that believing or not believing in fate is a fundamental characteristic that can tell a lot about a person’s soul. Reinforcement from rewarded behavior shapes young kid’s understandings that they control their own future; they make choices to act a certain way or do a certain task that will eventually help them reach their end goal. This decreases the chance that kids will grow up to believe that the future is in the hands of fate, or a higher being. Rotter proposed multiple methods for testing whether an individual possesses the internal or external locus of control. He believed that people who had the internal locus of control would be more motivated to make good things happen for them, therefore, they would be more successful in life. The opposite goes for individuals with external locus of control because they would not feel the need to try hard in life to be successful as their fate is in the hands of a higher power. This idea relates to many aspects of society including socioeconomics. These are related as people of higher socioeconomic standings were most likely possessing an internal locus of control.
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