DIRECT AND BUFFERING EFFECTS OF INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL AMONG MENTAL-HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

In a study of Pennsylvania clinical social workers and New York State mental health professionals, counselors with internal locus of control beliefs had more favorable scores on a number of work-related variables. For example, internal counselors reported higher job and life satisfaction, less emotional exhaustion (burnout), a greater sense of success in their work, and more favorable attitudes toward clients. For the sample of intensive case managers of severely mentally ill clients, a significant and consistent buffering effect of internality was found. Only for workers with external beliefs (on a newly-developed measure of counselor locus of control) did job strain and negative work attitudes result in diminished life satisfaction and intentions to quit one's job. Secondary analyses failed to find conditions for which externality was beneficial or internality dysfunctional. The advantages of internality were consistent and pervasive. Among recommendations discussed is the incorporation of a. personal control component in the training and continuing education of counselors.