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The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjrl20
Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Trust, and the Motive to Avoid Success in College Women a
Steven Thurber & Robert Friedli
a
a
Boise State University Published online: 02 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Steven Thurber & Robert Friedli (1976) Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Trust, and the Motive to Avoid Success in College Women, The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 92:1, 141-143, DOI: 10.1080/00223980.1976.9921347 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1976.9921347
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
Downloaded by [Carnegie Mellon University] at 19:08 13 October 2014
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Published as a separate and in The Journal of Psychology, 1976, 92, 141-143.
INTERNAL-EXTERNAL CONTROL, INTERPERSONAL TRUST, AND T H E MOTIVE TO AVOID SUCCESS I N COLLEGE WOMEN* Boise State University
Downloaded by [Carnegie Mellon University] at 19:08 13 October 2014
STEVENTHURBER AND ROBERTFRIEDLI SUMMARY
The Internal-External Control scale, Interpersonal Trust scale, and an assessment of the Motive To Avoid Success were administered to 86 undergraduate women. As expected, external and low trust scores covaried with comparatively high levels of achievement-related anxiety. The results were interpreted in terms of possible repression tendencies of internal subjects and the defensive properties inherent in the external and low trust belief systems. ~~
A.
INTRODUCTION
Midgley and Abrams ( 3 ) reported a significant relationship between scores on the Internal-External Control (I-E) scale and an assessment of the Motive To Avoid Success (M-s) , with external women showing greater achievementrelated anxiety. I t was suggested that the external orientation (i. e., a belief in chance, luck, and fate) may combine with M-s to lower or block the achievement motivation of American college women. This interpretation, while plausible, is difficult to integrate with findings that indicate that external women may surpass their counterparts in academic achievement (4). Consistent with prior research on the reactions of internals and externals to threatening stimuli ( S ) , it can be argued that external beliefs may provide a “built-in” protection against the fear of success. Individuals with high scores on the I-E scale (congruent externality) can potentially attribute undesirable experiences to chance or fate and need not feel personally accountable for success attainment. Similarly, women who maintain a low sense of interpersonal trust (so-called defensive externality) can hypothetically blame other people (e. g., professors) for their success. I n contrast, internal, high trust women, lacking an inherent defensive belief system, may be inclined toward repression and denial in response to induced stress.
* Received in the Editorial Office on November 28, 1975, and published immediately at Provincetown, Massachusetts. Copyright by The Journal Press. 141
142
J O U R N A L OF PSYCHOLOGY
Downloaded by [Carnegie Mellon University] at 19:08 13 October 2014
B. METHOD The subjects were 86 female undergraduate students in two general psychology classes. They responded to the I-E scale ( 6 1 , the Interpersonal Trust scale ( 7 ) , and an incomplete story cue to assess M-s imagery ( 1). The story completions were scored by two independent judges on a seven-point continuum ranging from low to high success anxiety. Interjudge reliability (intraclass correlation) was .83 ( F = 11.3, df = 85/85, p < .001). C.
RESULTSAND DISCUSSION
A product-moment correlation of 2 7 7 (df= 84, p < .Or) was obtained between I-E and M-s scores. Corresponding correlations for separate groups of high and low trust subjects were .377 (df = 44, p .02) and .lo4 (df= 38, p < . l o ) . These relationships differed significantly by means of a onesided test ( z = 1.87, p < .05). A two-way (locus of control X trust) analysis of variance for extreme-scoring internals and externals (13 subjects per cell) indicated that the I-E dimension was a significant source of variation ( F = 6.72, df = 1/48, p < .05). I n order, the mean M-s scores for high trust internals and externals and low trust internals and externals were 1.70, 3.80, 3.50, and 3.88. Tukey tests showed that the high trust, internal subjects had significantly lower M-s scores than the women in the other subgroups ( a = .05 for each comparison). The results corroborate the recent data of Midgley and Abrams ( 3 ) in that greater levels of externality were associated with increased fear of success. However, the finding of comparatively high levels of M-s among internals with low interpersonal trust is consonant with the possible defensive function of external beliefs. This suggests that external and low trust women are free to reveal success-related anxieties and presumably to engage in actual achievement striving without an intense fear of the consequences. This would explain data in which both external and low trust scores of female subjects were related to elevated academic achievement ( 2 ) . Internal women with a high sense of trust may deny and repress their fears and disclose less M-s imagery, yet remain confronted by M-s as a psychological barrier to optimal attainment.
The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vjrl20
Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Trust, and the Motive to Avoid Success in College Women a
Steven Thurber & Robert Friedli
a
a
Boise State University Published online: 02 Jul 2010.
To cite this article: Steven Thurber & Robert Friedli (1976) Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Trust, and the Motive to Avoid Success in College Women, The Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied, 92:1, 141-143, DOI: 10.1080/00223980.1976.9921347 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1976.9921347
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
Downloaded by [Carnegie Mellon University] at 19:08 13 October 2014
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Published as a separate and in The Journal of Psychology, 1976, 92, 141-143.
INTERNAL-EXTERNAL CONTROL, INTERPERSONAL TRUST, AND T H E MOTIVE TO AVOID SUCCESS I N COLLEGE WOMEN* Boise State University
Downloaded by [Carnegie Mellon University] at 19:08 13 October 2014
STEVENTHURBER AND ROBERTFRIEDLI SUMMARY
The Internal-External Control scale, Interpersonal Trust scale, and an assessment of the Motive To Avoid Success were administered to 86 undergraduate women. As expected, external and low trust scores covaried with comparatively high levels of achievement-related anxiety. The results were interpreted in terms of possible repression tendencies of internal subjects and the defensive properties inherent in the external and low trust belief systems. ~~
A.
INTRODUCTION
Midgley and Abrams ( 3 ) reported a significant relationship between scores on the Internal-External Control (I-E) scale and an assessment of the Motive To Avoid Success (M-s) , with external women showing greater achievementrelated anxiety. I t was suggested that the external orientation (i. e., a belief in chance, luck, and fate) may combine with M-s to lower or block the achievement motivation of American college women. This interpretation, while plausible, is difficult to integrate with findings that indicate that external women may surpass their counterparts in academic achievement (4). Consistent with prior research on the reactions of internals and externals to threatening stimuli ( S ) , it can be argued that external beliefs may provide a “built-in” protection against the fear of success. Individuals with high scores on the I-E scale (congruent externality) can potentially attribute undesirable experiences to chance or fate and need not feel personally accountable for success attainment. Similarly, women who maintain a low sense of interpersonal trust (so-called defensive externality) can hypothetically blame other people (e. g., professors) for their success. I n contrast, internal, high trust women, lacking an inherent defensive belief system, may be inclined toward repression and denial in response to induced stress.
* Received in the Editorial Office on November 28, 1975, and published immediately at Provincetown, Massachusetts. Copyright by The Journal Press. 141
142
J O U R N A L OF PSYCHOLOGY
Downloaded by [Carnegie Mellon University] at 19:08 13 October 2014
B. METHOD The subjects were 86 female undergraduate students in two general psychology classes. They responded to the I-E scale ( 6 1 , the Interpersonal Trust scale ( 7 ) , and an incomplete story cue to assess M-s imagery ( 1). The story completions were scored by two independent judges on a seven-point continuum ranging from low to high success anxiety. Interjudge reliability (intraclass correlation) was .83 ( F = 11.3, df = 85/85, p < .001). C.
RESULTSAND DISCUSSION
A product-moment correlation of 2 7 7 (df= 84, p < .Or) was obtained between I-E and M-s scores. Corresponding correlations for separate groups of high and low trust subjects were .377 (df = 44, p .02) and .lo4 (df= 38, p < . l o ) . These relationships differed significantly by means of a onesided test ( z = 1.87, p < .05). A two-way (locus of control X trust) analysis of variance for extreme-scoring internals and externals (13 subjects per cell) indicated that the I-E dimension was a significant source of variation ( F = 6.72, df = 1/48, p < .05). I n order, the mean M-s scores for high trust internals and externals and low trust internals and externals were 1.70, 3.80, 3.50, and 3.88. Tukey tests showed that the high trust, internal subjects had significantly lower M-s scores than the women in the other subgroups ( a = .05 for each comparison). The results corroborate the recent data of Midgley and Abrams ( 3 ) in that greater levels of externality were associated with increased fear of success. However, the finding of comparatively high levels of M-s among internals with low interpersonal trust is consonant with the possible defensive function of external beliefs. This suggests that external and low trust women are free to reveal success-related anxieties and presumably to engage in actual achievement striving without an intense fear of the consequences. This would explain data in which both external and low trust scores of female subjects were related to elevated academic achievement ( 2 ) . Internal women with a high sense of trust may deny and repress their fears and disclose less M-s imagery, yet remain confronted by M-s as a psychological barrier to optimal attainment.
