ABSTRACT
It can be unpleasant to reflect on how little control we have in our everyday lives. From losing a job, to contracting an illness, or even just sitting in the passenger seat of a car, we often lack control over our environment and outcomes. This is such a major concern for people that the theme of lack of control pervades popular culture. Newspaper and magazine articles focus on how to “stay in control” of our lives. Hundreds of self-help books are written on the assumption that being in control of our choices and actions can help to resolve many of life’s problems. This motivation for control has been hypothesized to fuel people to engage in activities that bring about desired outcomes or prevent undesired outcomes (Skinner, 1996). As a result, people’s drive to feel in control motivates them to act to restore perceived control when it has been diminished (Pittman & D’Agostino, 1985). In this chapter we review common reactions to instances of control deprivation and consider the psychological lengths to which people will go in order to regain perceived control.
