Question

In regards to personal control beliefs, what is the difference between primary and secondary control and how do they change with age?

Answer 1

Personal control beliefs, also referred to as locus of control and personal mastery beliefs, reflect individual’s beliefs regarding the extent to which they are able to control or influence outcomes. A wide variety of theorists have emphasised the importance of perceptions of personal control and have suggested that the desire to control the word around us is a fundamental characteristic of human beings.
A “two-process model of perceived control”, as presented by Rothbaum et al (1982) and others (Schultz et al, 1994), postulates that “the motivation to feel ‘in control’ may be expressed not only in behaviour that is blatantly controlling, (referred to as ‘Primary Control’) but also, subtly, in behaviour that is blatantly controlling (referred to as ‘Secondary Control’).

• Primary control reflects more on directly controlling behaviours.
• Secondary control reflects behaviour that, while not directly controlling, is focused on promoting a sense of control, not by altering the environment, but by altering oneself (eg., ones values, priorities, or behaviour) so as to bring oneself inline with the environment.

There is also the complication introduced by the evidence regarding significant associations between older age and the sense of control. As Wolinsky et al note, there is “compelling evidence” for substantively significant associations between age and the sense of control and for changes in the sense of control over time. Similar conclusions are presented by Mirowsky (1995) with evidence based two large random sample surveys showing high stable mean levels of personal control until age 50 with successive steps downward in progressively older age groups-with physical impairment and low education accounting for much of the loss in sense of control for older respondents.