| This scale is an abridgment of Rotter's I-E Scale (Rotter, 1966), which measures the tendency of the individual to perceive events as contingent on his own behavior or independent of it (i.e., contingent upon forces external to him). |
Here are six sets of statements. For each set please tell me which comes closer to being true, in your opinion. There are no right or wrong answers -- just pick one statement in each set that comes closest to how you feel.
A. First --
| Without the right breaks one cannot be an effective leader. | |
| Capable people who fail to become leaders have not taken advantage of their opportunities. | |
B. Next, which comes closest to your opinion -
| Becoming a success is a matter of hard work, luck has little or nothing to do with it. | |
| Getting a good job depends mainly on being in the right place at the right time. | |
C. Which comes closest to your opinion -
| Who gets to be the boss often depends on who was lucky enough to be in the right place first. | |
| Getting people to do the right thing depends upon ability, luck has little or nothing to do with it. | |
D. Which comes closest to your opinion -
| As far as world affairs are concerned, most of us are victims of forces we can neither understand nor control. | |
| By taking an activepart in political and social affairs the people can control world events. | |
E. Next,
| Most people don't realize the extent to which their lives are controlled by accidental happenings. | |
| There really is no such thing as "luck." | |
F. Finally,
| Many times I feel that I have little influence over things that happen to me. | |
| It is impossible for me to believe that chance or luck plays an important role in my life. | |
Each item consists of a pair of statements lettered a or b. For each set, circle the letter which stands for the one which comes closer to being true, in your opinion. There are no right or wrong answers -- just pick one statement in each set that comes closest to how you feel.
| a | b | 1. | a) | Children get into trouble because their parents punish them too much. |
| b) | The trouble with most children nowadays is that their parents are too easy with them. | |||
| a | b | 2. | a) | In the long run people get the respect they deserve in this world. |
| b) | Unfortunately, an individual’s worth often passes unrecognized no matter how hard he tries. | |||
| a | b | 3. | a) | Without the right breaks one cannot be an effective leader. |
| b) | Capable people who fail to become leaders have not taken advantage of their opportunities. | |||
| a | b | 4. | a) | Becoming a success is a matter of hard work, luck has little or nothing to do with it. |
| b) | Getting a good job depends mainly on being in the right place at the right time. | |||
| a | b | 5. | a) | When I make plans, I am almost certain that I can make them work. |
| b) | It is not always wise to plan too far ahead because many things turn out to be a matter of good or bad fortune anyhow. | |||
| a | b | 6. | a) | In my case getting what I want has little or nothing to do with luck. |
| b) | Many times we might just as well decide what to do by flipping a coin. | |||
| a | b | 7. | a) | Who gets to be the boss often depends on who was lucky enough to be in the right place first. |
| b) | Getting people to do the right thing depends upon ability, luck has little or nothing to do with it. | |||
| a | b | 8. | a) | As far as world affairs are concerned, most of us are the victims of forces we can neither understand, nor control. |
| b) | By taking an active part in political and social affairs the people can control world events. | |||
| a | b | 9. | a) | Most people don't realize the extent to which their lives are controlled by accidental happenings. |
| b) | There really is no such thing as "luck." | |||
| a | b | 10. | a) | It is hard to know whether or not a person really likes you. |
| b) | How many friends you have depends upon how nice a person you are. | |||
| a | b | 11. | a) | A good leader expects people to decide for themselves what they should do. |
| b) | A good leader makes it clear to everybody what their jobs are. | |||
| a | b | 12. | a) | Many times I feel that I have little influence over the things that happen to me. |
| b) | It is impossible for me to believe that chance or luck plays an important role in my life. | |||