Perceived Stress as a Function of Limits to Personal Control

A tuo-part study was mndertaken to determine whether the experiencing of limits to control in areas for which,people are known to seek psychological help would be perceived as differentially stressful by characteristically internal and. external individuals. A group of 237 nonclient students indicated their degree.of perdeived personal control over certain stressful life events for whicb a Sample of student clients had sought counseling. Factor analysiS of these responses resulted in four Limits to Personal Control scales.--Comparisons were made between 30 Internals and 36 Externals: A trichotomy of the. I-E distribution from this first nonclient sample indicated that internals anticipated greater _control cr all four limits scales, as hypothesized. The same four kOales were administered to 66 internal and 54- external nonclient students, but the instructions differed. This group rated how- stressful it Would be to experience the events comprising each scale. The prediction tha