title: What individuals believe they can and cannot do: explorations of realistic and unrealistic control beliefs.
abstract: We examined construct validity and implications of scales that assess perceived control over controllable events (realistic control belief) and perceived control over uncontrollable events (unrealistic control belief). We found that people high in unrealistic control belief are less likely to discriminate between controllable and uncontrollable situations and to distort task outcomes so as to make them appear more favorable (more under control). We also found that people high in realistic control belief are more likely to assume responsibility for past mistakes. In additional studies on coping and health risk behavior, higher realistic control belief was related to direct engagement with the stressor and to less risky sexual behavior; higher unrealistic control belief was related to less emotional processing and to more risky sexual behavior. The results demonstrate a need to discriminate between the two types of control beliefs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. miron@psych.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Miron
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zuckerman
authors.forename: C Raymond
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Knee
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kieffer
authors.forename: Marylene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gagne
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012309:Risk-Taking; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014481:United States