Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

Psychology Lab Protocol

I. General Information DATE: August 19, 2021
School year: 2022-23
Institution: Colegio Guadalupe S.C. Key Num.: 1070
Subject: Psychology Key Num.: 1609
Teacher: Yemelin Fuentes Aguirre
Lab Assistant: Leticia Xochitl Leyva
Group: 603 Section: A Lab Hours: 1/WEEK
Practice Num.: 6 Unit: 3 Topic: Personality
Practice Title: Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus
of Control
II. Team number: 1
1. Claudia Alicia Cruz Silva
2. María Fernanda Díaz Amador
3. Jennifer López López
4. Alondra Irazú Rodríguez Aguilera
5. Luisa Fernanda Rodríguez López de la Fuente
Team Leader: Claudia Alicia Cruz Silva
III. Research question:
What are the most common coping strategies among teenagers with internal locus of control?
IV. Objective:
To identify the most common coping strategies among teenagers with internal locus of control.
V. Hypothesis:
H1: Most teenagers with internal locus of control release stress with physical activity or with
relaxation techniques and activities.
H0: Most teenagers with internal locus of control do not release stress with physical activity or
with relaxation techniques and activities.

VI. Research Plan:

1. Develop a research question, objective, and hypothesis
2. Research Theoretical Framework
3. Make the experiment
4. Discuss the results
5. Prepare the research paper
6. Make the final presentation of results
VII. Procedure:
Included in Method (attached in paper research paper).
VIII. Materials and Instruments:
ACS test, Loscus of control test and pencil.
IX. Disposal management:
Does not apply
X. Bibliography:
Included in References (attached in the research paper).

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

Cruz, C. Díaz, F. López, J. Rocha, M. Rodríguez, A. & Rodríguez, L.
Colegio Guadalupe S.C.

Abstract: Personality is formed by several factors that influence the way in which people behave
and think. One of those factors is the Locus of Control, which refers to the amount of control a
person believes they have for their behaviour. This drives the person to act in a certain way in
order to reduce the amount of stress this factor is generating in their body, the coping strategies.
The report focuses on how people with Internal Locus of Control release stress and which are the
strategies they use in order to do so. Two instruments were applied to a population of 18
adolescents of different genders. The experiment helped prove the hypothesis (H1) “Most
teenagers with internal locus of control release stress with physical activity or with relaxation
techniques and activities.” as right. Ergo, it can be concluded that, since this group of people
think they are responsible for their actions, they have to distress in a way that is harmless and
positive, for them and for others. Hence, they feel they are not doing anything wrong or negative.

Key Words: Locus of Control, coping strategies, physical activity, relaxation techniques,
distress.

Theoretical Background
Coping strategies refer to humans’ actions or thoughts to deal with a threatening situation. There
are 2 different coping strategies; problem-focused strategy, and emotions-focused strategy. The
first strategy refers to tackling the situation and concentrating on the problem. It follows some
steps; analyze the situation, work harder, apply what you have already learned, and talk to a
person. On the other hand, the second strategy refers to handling the emotions of distress, rather
than the actual situation, meaning that the focus is on the emotions. (Greenaway, 2015)

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

The term ‘Locus of control’ refers to how much control a person feels they have in their own
behaviour. A person can either have an internal or external locus of control (Rotter, 1954)

The degree to which people believe they have control over their own Behavior as opposed to
believing that external factors are to blame for life's occurrences is known as their locus of
control. It is measured from "high internal" to "high external," along a dimension. The concept of
a person's "locus" (plural "loci") is divided into two categories: internal ("a conviction that one
can handle one's own life") and external ("a sense that life is bound by other circumstances
which the individual cannot effect, or that possibility or fate controls their lives"). There is a
continuum, and most people fall somewhere in the middle. (López, 2020)

A person with a high internal sense of control is more likely to accept personal responsibility for
their actions since they believe they are the result of their own actions. High external people
believe that luck or external circumstances are more to blame for their actions. (López, 2020)

According to research, those who have an internal centre of control are more likely to be
disobedient and less compliant (i.e. more independent). Rotter suggests that those who have an
internal locus of control are better at defying social pressure to comply or obey, presumably
because they take ownership of their actions. (López, 2020)

As the environment changes, each individual can attribute success and failure to things they have
control over or the ones they cannot control. Depending on the locus of control they choose bears
on their long-term success. A way of differentiating the external and internal locus of control is
between someone who thinks they are the one in control of their own life and someone who
believes the external factors are the ones that determine their paths in life. Even though we have
some control in our life’s, this can be elusive when stressed or overwhelmed. (López – Garrido,
2020)

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

The internal locus of control in people is known for having the sense and belief that their control
in life can have an effect on their futures. People who have a stronger internal locus of control
reflect on their challenges by thinking how they could have done things better and how they can
improve it for future situations. However, people who incline more on the external locus of
control tend to blame events on external forces in which they have no control whatsoever. This
type of individuals tend to deny their successes or failures, making them lower their feelings of
confidence and commitment. (López – Garrido, 2020)

Life is a delightful yet stressful rollercoaster all human beings experience. There are good
moments, but there are also bad moments. As far as any human being would like to live a
perfectly happy life, that is not possible. A lot of times stress is so powerful that it ruins people's
happiness. According to the World Health Organization, stress can be defined as any type of
change that causes physical, emotional, or psychological strain. Stress can be three things: a
stimulus effect, a process for understanding the stimulus and its context, and a reaction we have
to this event. It does not matter if a person is dealing with acute stress or chronic stress, it is
going to affect his or her life. (Carr & Pudrovska., 2007)

Coping with these situations begins as a response of psychological stress, so that human beings
are capable of maintaining good mental and emotional health. All of those experiences are often
described as stressors that lead to bad health. That is the main reason why people behave in
certain ways, the so-called coping strategies. These types of behaviour occur to adjust to all those
changes that happen throughout people’s life. (Resnik, 2019)

Coping strategies are often broken down into two categories, active and avoidant. The first type
of these, refers to a sense of awareness, whereas the second one has to do with denying the main
issue by doing stuff which is characterized as unhealthy, such as drinking or doing drugs.
(Resnik, 2019)

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

Robert Folkman and Susan Lazarus distinguish eight groups of coping strategies which are:
confrontative coping, distancing, self-controlling, seeking social support, accepting
responsibility, escape-avoidance, playful problem-solving, and positive reappraisal. Another
great contribution made by Folkman and Lazarus was their ways of coping scale. This scale was
invented to assess the extent to which one uses one of two general types of coping. The first one
is problem-focused coping which is directed at problem-solving or taking actions to change the
outcome. The second one is an emotional distress coping strategy that focuses on reducing the
stress resulting from a crisis. The effectiveness of any coping strategy depends on the situation;
however, in most crises both problem-focused and emotional distress strategies can be of great
help. (Carr & Pudrovska., 2007)

Method
Research Design
As the main objective is to identify the main coping strategies of teenagers with internal
locus of control, an experiment was conducted. The qualitative research involved the application
of two instruments to 18 adolescents with an age range that goes from 18 to 20 years old, of
different genders, who answered the test according to how they would have reacted in several
situations.

Participants
The studied population was 18 individuals from different genders. The age range goes
from 18 to 20 years old.

Instruments
- 80-item test (ACS test, coping strategies)
- 20-item test (Locus of Control test)

Materials
- Pencil and pen

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

Procedure
The different steps of the study consisted of applying a 20-item test to 18 teenagers.
Then, another 80-item instrument was applied to determine the coping strategies they use. To
display the results, a chart was designed to visualize and understand the information in a better
way. Finally, a qualitative analysis of the information was done to reach the discussion.

Analysis of the information

An in-depth thematic content analysis was carried out on the results, as well as the
information gathered in the theoretical background.
Results

Age Gender Locus of Control Coping Strategy

19 Female Internal Dr and Fi
19 Female Internal Fi
19 Female Internal Fi
19 Male Internal Fi
19 Female Internal Rp and Es
19 Male Internal Fi
20 Female Internal Dr
19 Female Internal Cu
19 Female Internal Dr
19 Female Internal Es
19 Female Internal Dr
18 Male External Ai
19 Female Internal Es and Dr
19 Female Internal Fi
19 Male Internal Dr and Fi
19 Male Internal Fi
18 Female Internal Cu

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

Graphs

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

Discussion
All aspects considered, it can be said that there is a significant relationship between the type of
Locus of Control a person has and the coping strategies they apply in order to release stress and
harsh thoughts. The group analyzed was made up of people with an internal locus of control and,
as the results showed, the most common techniques for coping with not having control are
physical and relaxation activities. (Rotter, 1954)

Moreover, it is not a coincidence that people with the same locus of control, use the same
strategy. That is since a person with an internal Locus of Control is always trying to improve and
be better, it is no surprise that the techniques they use help them concentrate and think better
through any situation they may be facing in their lives. (López – Garrido, 2020)

Another point that must be highlighted is the fact that the studied group of teenagers is almost
entirely composed of people with an internal Locus of Control. Hence, it can be assumed that the
diverse activities, environment, and daily pressures they go through, affect and influence the
concept they have of themselves and the experiences they face. (López – Garrido, 2020)

In light of the above mentioned, it is safe to say that whenever people are surrounded by similar
environmental factors, they are more likely to develop the same Locus of Control, which drives
them to act and behave in certain ways. This, makes the relationship between the coping
strategies they use and their type of Locus of Control even stronger, since they will have the
same purpose or goal, which, in the particular case of an internal Locus, is to be better everyday.
(Resnik, 2019)

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Coping Strategies Among Teenagers with Internal Locus of Control

References
Katherine H., & Deborah J. (2015). Measures of Coping for Psychological Well-Being. Retrieved
February 12, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/ways-of-coping-
questionnaire

Coping strategies. (2017, August 8). CESH / CSHS. Retrieved February 15, 2024 from
https://humanstress.ca/stress/trick-your-stress/steps-to-instant-stress-management/

López, G. (2020, September 13). Locus of Control. SimplyPsychology. Retrieved February 15, 2023,
from https://ttps://www.simplypsychology.org/locus-of-control.html

Elfström, M.L., Kreuter, M. Relationships Between Locus of Control, Coping Strategies and Emotional
Well-Being in Persons with Spinal Cord Lesion. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 13, 89–100 (2006).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-005-9001-8

Reknes, I. (2019, 6 junio). Locus of Control Moderates the Relationship Between Exposure to Bullying
Behaviors and Psychological Strain. Frontiers.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01323/fullm