Locus of Control and Anomie in Western and African Cultures

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Abstract
Applicability of locus of control subscales in studying powerlessness and its relationship to alienation was examined and compared in male and female college students in four cultural groups: Northeastern Nigerians (n = 97), Black Zimbabweans (n = 70), White Rhodesians (n = 57), and United States Americans (n = 200). Results supported hypotheses derived from theory and past factor-analytic work suggesting that Personal Control has deep-seated cultural roots and is less subject to fluctuations than Control Ideology and Social Control which are influenced by political and economic factors. Personal Control showed no significant differences between the culturally more similar groups (Americans and Rhodesians; and Nigerians and Zimbabweans), while Control Ideology and System Control were significantly different comparing the two African samples. Even though there were cross-cultural differences on locus of control and correlations between locus of control and anomie, only slight cross-cultural differences in anomie were observed.