Definition
Control refers to the actual influence or power an agent can exert over external outcomes and environmental variables.
Why It Matters
Aligning effort with what is actually controllable prevents frustration, wasted energy, and the illusion of control.
Core Concepts
- Controllable Variables: Factors that respond directly to an agent’s choices (e.g. effort, response to events).
- Uncontrollable Variables: External factors outside an agent’s influence (e.g. past events, actions of others).
- Locus of Control: An individual’s belief system regarding whether outcomes are determined by their own actions (internal) or by chance/external forces (external).