Which term refers to the perception that you control your own fate?

Which term refers to the perception that you control your own fate?

• A. Internal Locus of Control
• B. External Locus of Control
• C. Intrinsic Motivation
• D. Safety Needs

Answer: (A)

Perceiving that you control your own fate reflects an internal locus of control. This idea means you believe your own actions, choices, and effort largely shape the outcomes you experience, rather than luck or powerful outside forces dictating what happens. When you have this mindset, you’re more likely to take purposeful action, persist through difficulties, and invest effort because you expect that your work can make a difference. For example, a student who studies regularly and believes their grade will improve with effort embodies this belief. If you thought outcomes came from luck, fate, or others’ decisions, that would be an external locus of control, which often reduces the sense that personal effort will change results. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is about doing something because it’s inherently rewarding, not about beliefs regarding control over outcomes. Safety needs refer to basic security and safety requirements in Maslow’s hierarchy, not to beliefs about who controls life events.

Perceiving that you control your own fate reflects an internal locus of control. This idea means you believe your own actions, choices, and effort largely shape the outcomes you experience, rather than luck or powerful outside forces dictating what happens. When you have this mindset, you’re more likely to take purposeful action, persist through difficulties, and invest effort because you expect that your work can make a difference. For example, a student who studies regularly and believes their grade will improve with effort embodies this belief.

If you thought outcomes came from luck, fate, or others’ decisions, that would be an external locus of control, which often reduces the sense that personal effort will change results. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is about doing something because it’s inherently rewarding, not about beliefs regarding control over outcomes. Safety needs refer to basic security and safety requirements in Maslow’s hierarchy, not to beliefs about who controls life events.