Making Sense of Control: Change and Consequences
Development
Developmental Processes
Margie E. Lachman,
Stefan Agrigoroaei,
Elizabeth H. Rickenbach,
Margie E. Lachman
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorStefan Agrigoroaei
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorElizabeth H. Rickenbach
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMargie E. Lachman,
Stefan Agrigoroaei,
Elizabeth H. Rickenbach,
Margie E. Lachman
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorStefan Agrigoroaei
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorElizabeth H. Rickenbach
Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
The concept of control in the social and behavioral sciences derives mainly from theories of motivation. Early work on control was largely descriptive, with an emphasis on individual differences in perceived control. This essay first reviews the foundational research on the development of control beliefs and their relationship to achievement and health outcomes. Next, the article summarizes more recent cutting-edge research, which has examined trajectories of longitudinal change and the processes and mechanisms that link control beliefs with outcomes. Studies have shown that control beliefs can be a resilience factor that buffers the effects of stress and moderates social class differences in health and longevity. Suggestions for future research directions include a focus on short-term, within-person variability and intraindividual change processes, cultural variations in control beliefs, and the antecedents of control. The article concludes by considering some of the possible limits of a high sense of control as well as interventions to optimize control, and the policy implications of control beliefs. Future research will benefit from a biopsychosocial approach in order to understand how control beliefs develop and get under the skin to affect health and well-being.
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Further Reading
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Lachman, M. E., Neupert, S. D., & Agrigoroaei, S. (2011). The relevance of control beliefs for health and aging. In K. W. Schaie & S. L. Willis (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging ( 7th ed., pp. 175–190). Burlington, MA: Elsevier/Academic Press.
10.1016/B978-0-12-380882-0.00011-5 Google Scholar
- Mallers, M. H., Claver, M., & Lares, L. A. (2014). Perceived control in the lives of older adults: The influence of Langer and Rodin's work on gerontological theory, policy, and practice. The Gerontologist, 54, 67–74. doi:10.1093/geront/gnt051
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