Generalized expectations of alcoholics: multidimensional locus of control, hopelessness, and machiavellianism

Compared five aspects of generalized expectations (internality, powerful others external control orientation, change control orientation, hopelessness, and machiavellianism) of alcoholics and nonalcoholics. Ss tested were 56 nonalcoholics and 50 alcoholics just starting a treatment (middle socioeconomic class). Data analysis was done by a multivariate analysis of variance. The two samples differed in their generalized expectations. Alcoholics were, on the average, more external in powerful others control orientations, more external in chance control orientations, more hopeless, and more machiavellianistic than the nonalcoholics. The results support the findings of alcoholics' relative externality in locus of control of reinforcement and refer to the relevance of generalized expectations for the treatment of alcoholism.