Locus of Control and Well-Being Among College Students

Self-control and self-regulation abilities are critical components of health, happiness and competence of an individual. High sense of self-control leads to positive outcomes whereas lack of this leads to negativity. On the other hand, subjective well-being has been conceptualized as a satisfactory condition of existence, the absence of undesirable negative emotional states, and the experience of more positive moods and emotions. The purpose of the current study is to examine the locus of control (powerful others, chance control, individual control) and well-being (purpose in life, self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, & personal growth) among college going students. A sample of 120 students attending Delhi University was taken. A gender balance was maintained, with 60 males and females respectively. Participants were administered Levenson's Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale (LOC) and Ryff's Well-Being Scale. Correlation coefficient and t-test were used for statistical computation. Results showed that high internal and chance control are predictors of Subjective well-being. Well-being components, namely purpose in life, personal growth and self-acceptance, are significantly associated with Internal LOC. On the other hand, high external locus of control was linked to lower levels of well-being. Also, no gender related significant differences were found for Control and well-being. Reasons for the findings, limitations of the study and suggestions for future research have been discussed.