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Essay / Positive Psychological Concepts of Hidden Disability
An internal locus of control suggests that a person takes responsibility for their life while an external locus of control attributes responsibility to external factors, namely chance and others powerful (Beck, 2010). Generally, an internal locus of control in the case of disability influences psychological adaptation more positively (Wesch, 2015). Claire, for example, adopted an internal locus of control using her “three Ps” (Hovey, 2015) as a method of self-adaptation. This positively influenced his psychological adjustment, allowing him to maintain better self-esteem and daily productivity. Robert took a different approach and assumed an external or spiritual locus of control. This concept links faith and mutual aid by proposing four dimensions (CHIRr, nd). Robert's position falls under active spirituality because he believed that God was ultimately in control and knew that he had to take the initiative (CHIRr, n.d.) to accomplish great things (Ward, 2007). This contradicts Claire's internal locus of control and argues against the idea that an external locus of control is associated with psychological adjustment and poorer prognoses (Beck, 2010). For Robert, recognizing that “God created him for a purpose” (Ward, 2007) and realizing that by fulfilling God's purpose, he could accomplish something great (Ward, 2007) motivated him to achieve positive psychological goals.