External and internal locus of control

This Monday I listened to BBC4 Mind changers about Julian Rotter's measurement of internal and external locus of control. Depending on the person's perception of where the control lies for events they deal differently with life situations. If you have an internal locus of control you might be a 'go getter' and believing that you can change things. If you have an external locus of control you might believe that a higher power has decided events for you and that you can't do anything about it and this can show in for example "learnt helplessness". Particularly interesting for me was to hear that the locus of control changes with age and how it changes to an external locus in regards to health aspects. The Lifespan Developmental Psychology Laboratory at Brandeis University did research on this. Another interesting aspect for me was to hear how Julian Rotter was an academic, but he was also a keen sportsman and poker player and that these activities were for him as important as his research. Which feds my opinion to be a rounded, happy and enlightened person one should not only seek to accumulate knowledge but also to be in sync with your body through either sports or meditation. Surely poker can be seen as a form of meditation :-)