Expectancies of Unemployable Males regarding Source of Control of Reinforcement

Abstract
Three groups of 60 22- to 28-yr.-old males, matched for age, socio-economic status and scholastic aptitude and classified as hard core unemployables were tested on the Rotter I-E Scale. No significant differences in alienation scores were noted between Group A whites and white college students. Group B Black Ss were significantly more externally controlled with greater variability of scores. Group C Mexican-Americans showed an even greater tendency in the external direction and greater variability than the others. Blacks and Mexican-Americans did not differ significantly in expression of external control. Lack of feeling for any relation between individual effort and reward may account for the difficulty in equipping these groups with knowledge and skill to improve their lot.