Perceived Control: Its Impact on Mental Health

II. Perceived Control

The importance of perceived control in people's lives is vast. Indeed, there is much research to support the notion that the perception of control is as important, if not more important, than actual control (Davis, 2004). This idea of perceived control is instrumental in success of therapy and even maintaining a good mental health. Davis added that for some patients, they may have a sense of control in one area, and not with the other which may cause problems for them. It is then likely to understand that believing how much control a patient have, could actually help in a therapy.
Literatures have said that perception of control is factors in maintaining health, in recovery from illness and in work behavior as cited

Although interest in PC lies in its utility as a predictor of future health behavior and status, the distinction between attributions and PC over the future may be moot in some research.
Both Bandura's and Rotter's social learning theories include the concept of perceived control in the form of expectancies about reinforcements or outcomes. Locus of control (LOC) is the generalized outcome expectancy construct from Rotter's social learning theory. Those with an internal LOC orientation believe their own behavior determines their reinforcements or outcomes while those with an external LOC orientation believe their reinforcements are controlled by powerful other people or random occurrences such as fate, luck, or chance.
Recent research suggests that perceived control of internal states may be just as important as perceived control of external events. The perceived control of internal states was developed to provide a measure of the degree to which people feel they have a control of their emotions, thoughts and their physical reactions. The buffering effects of perceived control for people facing major life events was also explored, with higher levels of perceived control being associated with less physical and psychological symptoms of strain (Pallant,

Perceived control is defined as a belief that outcomes in life are the consequences of ones own actions and ones ability to mobilized resources to meet the demands of everyday life (Hakansson, Dahlin-Ivanoff & Sonn, 2006). In addition, those who increase their perceptions of control over the course of life are kore likely to take active steps towards reducing or avoiding stressful circumstances (Maghusson-Hansson,