Description

The Reid-Ware Three-Factor Internal-External Scale is a psychometric tool designed to measure individuals’ perceptions of the control they exercise over their lives, across three dimensions: personal success, personal failure, and socio-political success. This scale offers a more detailed analysis of locus of control compared to other scales, dividing control into internal and external across different life domains.

Purpose

The purpose of the Reid-Ware scale is to assess how people perceive their influence in different aspects of their lives. By measuring these dimensions, the scale helps researchers and practitioners better understand individuals’ beliefs about control, which can have significant implications for their psychological health and behavior.

Analysis

The scale consists of questions or statements that evaluate individuals’ perceptions of control in three areas:
Personal Success: Assesses internal and external control in achievements and positive situations.
Personal Failure: Assesses internal and external control in failures and negative situations.
Socio-political Success: Assesses the control individuals perceive themselves as having in socio-political matters and successes.
Participants are asked to respond to statements using a Likert scale (e.g., from 1 = Not at all to 5 = Very much).
The analysis of results includes:
Score Calculation: Responses are summed for each dimension to calculate the total scores for internal and external locus of control.
Score Interpretation: Scores are compared with normative data to determine the level of internal or external locus of control in each dimension.
Statistical Analysis: Further analysis may be conducted to explore the relationships between locus of control dimensions and other psychological or social factors.

Calibration

The calibration of the Reid-Ware scale is conducted through studies on large and diverse samples in order to establish normative data and ensure the reliability and validity of the tool. Scores are standardized to allow reliable comparisons of results across different populations.

References

Reid, D. W., & Ware, E. E. (1973). Multidimensionality of Internal-External Control: Implications for Past and Future Research. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 5(3), 264–270.
Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 80(1), 1–28.
Lefcourt, H. M. (1982). Locus of Control: Current Trends in Theory and Research. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Phares, E. J. (1976). Locus of Control in Personality. General Learning Press.
Wallston, K. A., Wallston, B. S., & DeVellis, R. (1978). Development of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scales. Health Education Monographs, 6(2), 160–170.