Self esteem and Locus of Control among Adolescents

Adolescence represents a transitional stage of life marked by considerable physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Self-esteem denotes an individual’s positive or negative attitude toward self (Rosenberg, 1965). Locus of control refers to the perceived capacity to influence life outcomes despite external forces (Rotter, 1966). This study tries to examine the relationship between self-esteem and locus of control among adolescents, and analyses differences by gender, institutional affiliation, and educational stream. The sample comprised of 360 first-year college students in the Trivandrum district of Kerala. Self-Esteem Inventory by Thomas and Sananda Raj (1985) and the Locus of Control Scale by Sony and Sananda Raj (1998) were used to collect the data. To analyze the data, Pearson’s correlation, independent-samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA were conducted using SPSS. Results revealed a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and internal locus of control among adolescents. No gender based differences were found in either self-esteem or locus of control. Students from government colleges displayed a more internal locus of control than those in aided colleges. No significant differences were observed across educational streams (Arts, Language, Science) in self-esteem or locus of control. These findings may assist educators in developing strategies to enhance self-esteem by fostering shifts toward a more internal locus of control.