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I find that the idea of “Locus of Control” often comes up in treatment. (1)
A person with an Internal locus of control is said to believe that they have control over their own decisions and things that happen in their lives. A person with an external locus of control, believes that their personal decisions and things that happens in life, are determined by external factors (the situation that they find themselves in).
So, very often, in treatment, it is important to establish what things a person has control over, and what things a person does not have control over. I’d say in probably 70 to 80% of the people I see, there are distortions in their notions of control. Sometimes, they feel like they should be able to control everything. Even those situations which we have no control over. Other times, they don’t feel like they have control over anything, including any aspect of themselves.
An exaggerated notion of external locus of control is often associated with depression. An exaggerated notion of internal locus of control is often associated with anxiety and anger. The point is, that there are some things you can control in your life and within yourself, and there are other things that you cannot. As with many things in life, the point is finding the most realistic balance between the two. This is not something that is easily done, and will be a continual balancing act for almost everyone.