Sense of Control Over Your Life (Rotter)

What the Rotter measures

The "Locus of Control" (LOC) is one of the most heavily researched constructs in psychology. It dictates how a person interprets success and failure. Individuals with an Internal LOC are generally more resilient, successful, and proactive. Individuals with a highly External LOC are prone to "Learned Helplessness," believing that their actions do not matter, which strongly correlates with depression and anxiety.

What to do with your result

1. The Trap of Extreme Internal Control: While generally positive, a score of 0-2 can lead to severe anxiety and guilt. If an "Extreme Internal" person gets sick, they may obsessively blame their diet or lifestyle rather than accepting that biology is sometimes random. They must learn the Stoic principle: separate what is in your control from what is not.
2. Reversing External Control: For high External scorers, therapy and coaching must focus on "Micro-Agency." They feel the game is rigged, so they shouldn't try to change the world. Instead, they must be assigned small, highly controllable tasks (e.g., waking up at exactly 7 AM for a week) to rebuild the neurological link between effort and outcome.

Common questions about the Rotter

What does the Rotter measure?

Measurement of generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement (whether a person believes they control their destiny, or luck/fate does).

Can the Rotter diagnose me?

No. Sense of Control Over Your Life (Rotter) is a screening questionnaire, not a diagnostic tool. It can flag that something may need a closer look. It cannot tell you what is causing it. It describes tendencies rather than diagnosing anything, and no result here is a condition or something to fix.

Is this Rotter test really free?

Yes. No account, no email address, no payment. Psychometrics Today is funded by donations rather than advertising, which is also what allows us to publish instruments whose authors permit free but non-commercial use.

Are my answers stored or shared?

No. Your answers are scored inside your browser and never sent to us. There is no database of responses, because we never receive any. Closing the tab erases them, which is why results cannot be recovered afterwards.

How often should I retake the Rotter?

Traits and preferences move slowly, so retaking this every few months is more informative than retaking it often. Larger shifts usually follow a genuine change in circumstances.

How accurate is the Rotter?

Screening questionnaires are good at flagging that something merits attention and poor at establishing what it is. This one is sensitive to how you feel on the day you take it, and many instruments were validated on narrow populations whose cut-offs may not transfer cleanly to everyone. The references at the foot of this page are the primary sources.

Why can I not take the Rotter here?

Widely reproduced, but APA holds the original publication copyright and no explicit free-use grant exists. We will not reproduce a questionnaire we have no right to reproduce, so this page explains what it measures instead. Levenson's IPC Locus of Control Scales are freely available for research.