PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Go Inward:
Article reprinted with the permission of DVM360 - July 7, 2017
DVM360 MAGAZINE is a copyrighted publication of Advanstar.
Communications inc. All rights reserved.
How Locus of Control Can Save You
Believing you have some control over the events in your life is crucial
to happiness and could make a huge difference in your personal life
and veterinary career.
Hilal Dogan, BVSc
Some people, even in bad circumstances, feel they
have control over their lives. Psychologist Julian Rot-
ter calls that an "internal" locus of control. Compare
that to people who feel they don't have power over
their lives, their actions, their families or their jobs—
people with an "external locus of control."
Some researchers say happier people have an internal
locus of control.
"Locus of control," a social learning theory developed
by psychologist Julian Rotter, PhD, asserts that per-
sonality represents the interaction of an individual
with their environment and is changeable given the
circumstances of the situation. People with an inter-
nal locus of control feel that they are in control of
their destiny, while people who have an external locus
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of control believe that external forces control their fu-
ture.
Are you convinced you're doomed—Groundhog Day
style—to face clients day after day who won't take
your recommendations? External locus of control—
the pet owners govern your fate! Or do you work to
soothe your frustration about that or adjust the way
you communicate with pet owners? Internal locus of
control—there's something you can do, even if it's to
let go of bad feelings from the workday.
Do you feel trapped in your job with coworkers you
hate with no way out? That's external locus of con-
trol—you have no power over your job, your bosses,
your coworkers or your daily responsibilities. Or are
you considering that you're choosing to stay because
of the location or the clients or the money, or even
better, maybe you're brushing up that resume and