Economic Development and Belief in Locus of Control among Factory Workers in Four Countries

Abstract

Factory workers from a developed Western country (the United States), a developed oriental country (Japan), a developing Western country (Mexico), and a developing oriental country (Thailand) were tested on Rotter's Internal-External Control scale. Items were grouped for analysis into four categories proposed as meaningful in cross-cultural research: leadership and success; respect; politics; luck and fate. Comparisons of the percentage of external responses by category showed workers from the two developed countries as more internal on leadership and success than workers from the two developing countries, and workers from the two oriental countries as more external on respect than workers from the two Western countries. Other significant intercountry differences were found on the remaining categories.