Correlates of locus of control among male alcoholics

This study examined the relationship between internal-external control and several psychometric adjustment indices among 162 male alcoholics (mean age = 40.7) in an inpatient state vocational rehabilitation facility. Rotter's I-E scale was used to compare three subgroups of alcoholics (39 Internals, 82 Moderate scorers, and 41 Externals) on the Success-Failure Inventory, the Dogmatism Scale, the Future Outlook Inventory, the Alcadd Test, and the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List. Internal alcoholics were found to be significantly more success-oriented, less dogmatic and more optimistic in future adjustment outlook. I-E subgroup differences on these measures were not dependent on age and IQ variability present between I-E levels. Results suggest that locus of control-adjustment correlates exist within alcoholic as well as within previously studied "normal" samples.