Are you familiar with the concept “locus of control”? In psychology, it’s the way we determine the cause of what happens to us. We can divide ourselves into two categories:

– The “internals”: what happens to me depends on me… if I fail it’s my fault. These people progress more quickly in their careers but go through intense phases of guilt and self-questioning.

– The “externals”: what happens to me depends on the outside world (chance, others, the environment…). These people have an easier time during serious events and accept them more easily by attributing them to fate.

While you may be tempted to blame yourself for being less successful than you would like during this time, it is helpful to know that this is simply your locus of control guiding you in your explanation of causality.

By Adrien Chignard