Individuals as Producers of Their Development

Individuals as Producers of Their Development: A Life-Span Perspective provides an assessment of the usefulness of viewing the individual as an active contributor to his or her development. It extends the breadth of organism-environment reciprocities beyond those involved with the child and family. On the one hand, this extension involves a consideration of the role of evolutionary biological processes; on the other, it pertains to the broader ecology of human development-the social network lying outside the family, and the physical environmental contexts of development. Person-context reciprocities linked to variables that may play their greatest role in the extrafamilial context are also considered. Variables such as physical attractiveness, race, and physical handicap are examples of those discussed in this regard. Finally, because of the greater scope of the analysis, a potentially greater data base is examined in a search for documentation of the presence and role of dynamic person-context interactions.

Contenu

List of Contributors
Preface
1 Introduction
Part I: Early Research Programs
Part II: Application to Social Problems
Part III: Locus of Control as a Moderator Variable
References
I An Update on Early Research Programs
2 The Nowicki-Strickland Life-Span Locus of Control Scales: Construct Validation
Children's Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale
Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale: College and Noncollege Forms
Locus of Control in Different Cultures
Nowicki-Strickland (NS) Scale Scores, Personality, and Social Interaction
Locus of Control and Academic Achievement
Locus of Control and Physical Health and Functioning
NS Locus of Control and Abnormality
Antecedents of and Attempts to Change NS Locus of Control
Conclusions and Comments
References
3 Maternal and Childhood Behaviors as Antecedents of Internal-External Control Perceptions in Young Adulthood
Procedure
Results and Discussion
Implications of the Antecedent Data for Development of Internal Control in Adulthood
References
II Applications to Clinical Problems
4 Control Orientation, Drinking Behavior, and Alcoholism
Introduction
Control Orientation and Alcohol Use
Control Orientation and Psychological Functioning among Alcoholics
Control Orientation and Alcoholism Treatment
The Drinking-Related Locus of Control Scale
Locus of Drinking Problems Scale
Summary and Discussion
References
5 Locus of Control and Marital Interaction
Introduction
Review of Personality and Marriage Research and Theory
Strategies for Building a Theoretical Linkage between Personality and Marriage
A Theoretical Model Linking Locus of Control and Marriage
Review of the Research on Locus of Control and the Marital Relationship
Conclusion
References
III Locus of Control as a Moderator Variable
6 Person x Environment Interaction and Locus of Control: Laboratory, Therapy, and Classroom Studies
Introduction
Locus of Control and Interactional Research
Laboratory Studies: Theory-Based Research on Locus of Control x Situation Interactions
Locus of Control x Behavior Change Interactions
Locus of Control and Classroom Control
Conclusions and Future Research Directions
References
7 The Locus of Control as a Moderator Variable: Stress
Introduction
Research Concerned with Stress
Field Studies of Stress and Control
Scale-Assessed Stress and Control
Conclusion
References
8 Epilog
References
Author Index
Subject Index