INTERNAL-EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ADJUSTMENT IN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION

• NCJ Number: 32169
• Journal: FCI RESEARCH REPORTS Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (1974) Pages: COMPLETE ISSUES
• Author(s): J G BROWN
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 29 pages
• Grant Number(s): 18468-01; 18468-02
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Corporate Author: Florida State University
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PAPER BASED ON THESIS - FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Annotation

PREDICTION OF PRISON ADJUSTMENT BY CATEGORIZING INMATES AS EITHER INTERNALLY OR EXTERNALLY CONTROLLED USING CONCURRENT VALIDITY AND PREDICTIVE VALIDITY STUDIES OF ROTTER'S INTERNAL-EXTERNAL (I-E) LOCUS OF CONTROL SCALE.

Abstract

THE CONCURRENT VALIDITY OF THE INTERNAL-EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL CONSTRUCT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO ADJUSTMENT WAS SUPPORTED BY THE INVESTIGATION. IT WAS SHOWN THAT THE MORE INTERNALLY CONTROLLED AN INMATE WAS THE BETTER ADJUSTED HE APPEARED ON THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY AND THE CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY, WHEREAS THE MORE EXTERNALLY CONTROLLED AN INMATE WAS THE LESS ADJUSTED HE APPEARED ON THESE WIDELY USED PERSONALITY INSTRUMENTS. THE PREDICTIVE VALIDITY STUDY INDICATED A LINEAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN I-E LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ADJUSTMENT. HOWEVER, THERE WAS ALSO SLIGHT SUGGESTIONS THAT THIS RELATIONSHIP MAY BE CURVILINEAR IN NATURE. FUTURE RESEARCH COULD CLARIFY THIS ISSUE BY UTILIZING LARGER SUBJECT POOLS, AND USING AS DEPENDENT VARIABLES OPERATIONAL INDICES OF ADJUSTMENT, E.G., IN THE CASE OF PRISON ADJUSTMENT; NUMBER OF DISCIPLINARY REPORTS FILED; TYPES OF OFFENSE COMMITTED; AND NUMBER OF PRIOR COMMITMENTS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)