Explain the differences between an internal and external locus of control, including the health effects of each.
What will be an ideal response?
Responses will vary; Our health locus of control is determined by the extent to which we believe that our behavior affects our health status. Our health locus of control lies somewhere along a continuum and is measured as either internal or external. A person with an external locus of control believes that things happen to them and are unrelated to their own behavior. Therefore, things are out of their control. An external locus of control is associated with a rise in the level of corticosteroids in the bloodstream which lowers the body's resistance to disease and suppresses the manufacture of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. A person with an internal locus of control believes that events are a consequence of their personal actions, and thus, potentially can be controlled. People with a greater sense of internal control have fewer illnesses because they usually practice healthier behaviors.
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