---
id: "framework-locus-of-control"
type: "framework"
source_timestamps: ["00:01:58", "00:02:13", "00:02:42"]
tags: ["psychology", "self-assessment", "mental-models"]
related: ["concept-high-agency", "entity-julian-rotter", "action-locus-circle", "claim-internal-locus-performance"]
steps: ["Take a blank piece of paper and draw a large circle on it.", "\"Write down all the major elements in your life that matter to you (family", "friends", "business", "projects", "education", "next promotion", "career goals", "the economy).\"", "Place the items you perceive as being 'under your control' INSIDE the circle.", "Place the items you perceive as being 'beyond your influence' OUTSIDE the circle.", "\"Evaluate the results: Low agency people place significant elements (promotions", "learning curves", "the economy) outside the circle. High agency people place absolutely everything (compensation", "skill development", "career goals) inside the circle.\""]
sources: ["s09-people-getting-promoted"]
sourceVaultSlug: "s09-people-getting-promoted"
originDay: 9
---
# The Locus of Control Circle Exercise

## Purpose

A simple visualization exercise to determine an individual's baseline agency and locus of control. The exercise reveals whether a person fundamentally believes their life outcomes are dictated by their own actions (**internal**) or by external forces (**external**) — Rotter's distinction (see [[entity-julian-rotter]]).

## Steps

1. Take a blank piece of paper and draw a large circle on it.
2. Write down all the major elements in your life that matter to you (family, friends, business, projects, education, next promotion, career goals, the economy).
3. Place the items you perceive as being **under your control** INSIDE the circle.
4. Place the items you perceive as being **beyond your influence** OUTSIDE the circle.
5. **Evaluate:**
   - **Low agency** people place significant elements (promotions, learning curves, the economy) outside the circle.
   - **High agency** people place **absolutely everything** (compensation, skill development, career goals) inside the circle — including things conventionally considered external.

## Interpretation

This exercise operationalizes [[concept-high-agency]]. The empirical justification for using internal locus as a goal state is in [[claim-internal-locus-performance]].

## Operational Action

The action-item version of this framework is [[action-locus-circle]] — perform it on yourself, then deliberately move external items inward by reframing each as a "skill issue."


## Related across days
- [[concept-high-agency]]
- [[concept-say-do-ratio]]
- [[claim-internal-locus-performance]]
- [[arc-junior-collapse-high-agency]]