Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control

Mitchell J. Callan; Robbie M. Sutton; Phatthanakit Chobthamkit; Victoria  Wai Lan Yeung; Florence Y. N.  Leung; Ryosuke Asano; Peter Beattie; Allan B. I.  Bernardo; Chinun  Boonroungrut; Jen-Ho Chang; Anindita  Chaudhuri; Chin-Lung Chien; Hoon-Seok  Choi; Lixian  Cui; Hongfei  Du; Alexander Scott-English; Kei Fuji; Hidefumi Hitokoto; Junko  Iida; Keiko  Ishii; Ding-Yu  Jiang; Yashpal  Jogdand; Hyejoo J.  Lee; Nobuhiro  Mifune; Aya Murayama; Jinkyung  Na; Kim One; Joonha  Park; Kosuke  Sato; Punit Shah; Suryodaya  Sharma; Eunkook M.  Suh; Arun  Tipandjan; Michael Shengtao Wu; William Skylark

doi:10.1111/jopy.12980

Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control

Mitchell J. Callan
, Robbie M. Sutton
, Phatthanakit Chobthamkit
, Victoria Wai Lan Yeung
, Florence Y. N. Leung
, Ryosuke Asano
, Peter Beattie
, Allan B. I. Bernardo
, Chinun Boonroungrut
, Jen-Ho Chang
, Anindita Chaudhuri
, Chin-Lung Chien
, Hoon-Seok Choi
, Lixian Cui
, Hongfei Du
, Alexander Scott-English
, Kei Fuji
, Hidefumi Hitokoto
, Junko Iida
, Keiko Ishii

Ding-Yu Jiang, Yashpal Jogdand, Hyejoo J. Lee, Nobuhiro Mifune, Aya Murayama, Jinkyung Na, Kim One, Joonha Park, Kosuke Sato, Punit Shah, Suryodaya Sharma, Eunkook M. Suh, Arun Tipandjan, Michael Shengtao Wu, William Skylark

University of Kent
Thammasat University
Lingnan University
Kurume University
Chinese University of Hong Kong
De La Salle University
Silpakorn University
Academia Sinica
University of Calcutta
Soochow University
Sungkyunkwan University
New York University Shanghai
Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai
Wenzhou-Kean University
University of Tsukuba
Kwansei Gakuin University
Nagoya University
National Chung Cheng University
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Handong Global University
Kochi University of Technology
Ritsumeikan University
Sogang University
Zaehoon Language Institute
Kyoto University
Krea University
Yonsei University
International Centre for Psychological Counseling and Social Research
Xiamen University
University of Cambridge

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (SciVal)

Abstract

Objective
We investigated the relationship between personal relative deprivation (PRD)—resentment from the belief that one is worse off than people who are similar to oneself—and locus of control.

Background
Research has yet to comprehensively investigate whether PRD is associated with a tendency to favor external (vs. internal) explanations for self- and other-relevant outcomes.

Method
Eight studies (Ntotal = 6729) employed cross-sectional, experimental, and (micro)longitudinal designs and used established trait and state measures of PRD and loci of control.

Results
Participants higher in PRD adopted more external (vs. internal) explanations for others' outcomes while controlling for socio-demographics (e.g., socioeconomic status; Studies 1–4). This relationship was mediated by a lowered sense of personal control (Study 1) and evident in a cross-national sample of participants in Asia (Study 2). PRD is more robustly associated with external than internal explanations for self and other-relevant outcomes (Studies 5–8), and within-person changes in PRD are positively associated with within-person changes in external explanations (month-to-month and day-to-day; Studies 7–8).

Conclusions
PRD is positively associated with external locus of control independent of socioeconomic status, within and between people, and across cultures. This research highlights the implications of PRD for people's construal of the causal forces that govern their lives.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	845-865
Number of pages	21
Journal	Journal of Personality
Volume	93
Issue number	4
Early online date	22 Oct 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12980
Publication status	Published - 31 Aug 2025

Data Availability Statement

All data, materials, and analysis syntax are available at https://osf.io/
hfd5e/ ? view_ only= cae7c5adf7624a539799e5d8958bf84d.

Funding

This research was funded, in part, by the University of Bath, Department of Psychology's Research Promotion Fund.

Keywords

locus of control
personal relative deprivation
sense of control
social status

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Psychology

Access to Document

10.1111/jopy.12980Licence: CC BY

Cite this

Callan, M. J., Sutton, R. M., Chobthamkit, P., Wai Lan Yeung, V., Leung, F. Y. N., Asano, R., Beattie, P., Bernardo, A. B. I., Boonroungrut, C., Chang, J.-H., Chaudhuri, A., Chien, C.-L., Choi, H.-S., Cui, L., Du, H., Scott-English, A., Fuji, K., Hitokoto, H., Iida, J., ... Skylark, W. (2025). Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control. Journal of Personality, 93(4), 845-865. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12980

Callan, MJ, Sutton, RM, Chobthamkit, P, Wai Lan Yeung, V, Leung, FYN, Asano, R, Beattie, P, Bernardo, ABI, Boonroungrut, C, Chang, J-H, Chaudhuri, A, Chien, C-L, Choi, H-S, Cui, L, Du, H, Scott-English, A, Fuji, K, Hitokoto, H, Iida, J, Ishii, K, Jiang, D-Y, Jogdand, Y, Lee, HJ, Mifune, N, Murayama, A, Na, J, One, K, Park, J, Sato, K, Shah, P, Sharma, S, Suh, EM, Tipandjan, A, Shengtao Wu, M & Skylark, W 2025, 'Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control', Journal of Personality, vol. 93, no. 4, pp. 845-865. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12980

@article{26ca3644f3664c4fbdbebde8bcb88db9,

title = "Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control",

abstract = "Objective We investigated the relationship between personal relative deprivation (PRD)—resentment from the belief that one is worse off than people who are similar to oneself—and locus of control. Background Research has yet to comprehensively investigate whether PRD is associated with a tendency to favor external (vs. internal) explanations for self- and other-relevant outcomes. Method Eight studies (Ntotal = 6729) employed cross-sectional, experimental, and (micro)longitudinal designs and used established trait and state measures of PRD and loci of control. Results Participants higher in PRD adopted more external (vs. internal) explanations for others' outcomes while controlling for socio-demographics (e.g., socioeconomic status; Studies 1–4). This relationship was mediated by a lowered sense of personal control (Study 1) and evident in a cross-national sample of participants in Asia (Study 2). PRD is more robustly associated with external than internal explanations for self and other-relevant outcomes (Studies 5–8), and within-person changes in PRD are positively associated with within-person changes in external explanations (month-to-month and day-to-day; Studies 7–8). Conclusions PRD is positively associated with external locus of control independent of socioeconomic status, within and between people, and across cultures. This research highlights the implications of PRD for people's construal of the causal forces that govern their lives.",

keywords = "locus of control, personal relative deprivation, sense of control, social status",

author = "Callan, \{Mitchell J.\} and Sutton, \{Robbie M.\} and Phatthanakit Chobthamkit and \{Wai Lan Yeung\}, Victoria and Leung, \{Florence Y. N.\} and Ryosuke Asano and Peter Beattie and Bernardo, \{Allan B. I.\} and Chinun Boonroungrut and Jen-Ho Chang and Anindita Chaudhuri and Chin-Lung Chien and Hoon-Seok Choi and Lixian Cui and Hongfei Du and Alexander Scott-English and Kei Fuji and Hidefumi Hitokoto and Junko Iida and Keiko Ishii and Ding-Yu Jiang and Yashpal Jogdand and Lee, \{Hyejoo J.\} and Nobuhiro Mifune and Aya Murayama and Jinkyung Na and Kim One and Joonha Park and Kosuke Sato and Punit Shah and Suryodaya Sharma and Suh, \{Eunkook M.\} and Arun Tipandjan and \{Shengtao Wu\}, Michael and William Skylark",

year = "2025",

month = aug,

day = "31",

doi = "10.1111/jopy.12980",

language = "English",

volume = "93",

pages = "845--865",

journal = "Journal of Personality",

issn = "0022-3506",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

number = "4",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control

AU - Callan, Mitchell J.

AU - Sutton, Robbie M.

AU - Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit

AU - Wai Lan Yeung, Victoria

AU - Leung, Florence Y. N.

AU - Asano, Ryosuke

AU - Beattie, Peter

AU - Bernardo, Allan B. I.

AU - Boonroungrut, Chinun

AU - Chang, Jen-Ho

AU - Chaudhuri, Anindita

AU - Chien, Chin-Lung

AU - Choi, Hoon-Seok

AU - Cui, Lixian

AU - Du, Hongfei

AU - Scott-English, Alexander

AU - Fuji, Kei

AU - Hitokoto, Hidefumi

AU - Iida, Junko

AU - Ishii, Keiko

AU - Jiang, Ding-Yu

AU - Jogdand, Yashpal

AU - Lee, Hyejoo J.

AU - Mifune, Nobuhiro

AU - Murayama, Aya

AU - Na, Jinkyung

AU - One, Kim

AU - Park, Joonha

AU - Sato, Kosuke

AU - Shah, Punit

AU - Sharma, Suryodaya

AU - Suh, Eunkook M.

AU - Tipandjan, Arun

AU - Shengtao Wu, Michael

AU - Skylark, William

PY - 2025/8/31

Y1 - 2025/8/31

N2 - Objective We investigated the relationship between personal relative deprivation (PRD)—resentment from the belief that one is worse off than people who are similar to oneself—and locus of control. Background Research has yet to comprehensively investigate whether PRD is associated with a tendency to favor external (vs. internal) explanations for self- and other-relevant outcomes. Method Eight studies (Ntotal = 6729) employed cross-sectional, experimental, and (micro)longitudinal designs and used established trait and state measures of PRD and loci of control. Results Participants higher in PRD adopted more external (vs. internal) explanations for others' outcomes while controlling for socio-demographics (e.g., socioeconomic status; Studies 1–4). This relationship was mediated by a lowered sense of personal control (Study 1) and evident in a cross-national sample of participants in Asia (Study 2). PRD is more robustly associated with external than internal explanations for self and other-relevant outcomes (Studies 5–8), and within-person changes in PRD are positively associated with within-person changes in external explanations (month-to-month and day-to-day; Studies 7–8). Conclusions PRD is positively associated with external locus of control independent of socioeconomic status, within and between people, and across cultures. This research highlights the implications of PRD for people's construal of the causal forces that govern their lives.

AB - Objective We investigated the relationship between personal relative deprivation (PRD)—resentment from the belief that one is worse off than people who are similar to oneself—and locus of control. Background Research has yet to comprehensively investigate whether PRD is associated with a tendency to favor external (vs. internal) explanations for self- and other-relevant outcomes. Method Eight studies (Ntotal = 6729) employed cross-sectional, experimental, and (micro)longitudinal designs and used established trait and state measures of PRD and loci of control. Results Participants higher in PRD adopted more external (vs. internal) explanations for others' outcomes while controlling for socio-demographics (e.g., socioeconomic status; Studies 1–4). This relationship was mediated by a lowered sense of personal control (Study 1) and evident in a cross-national sample of participants in Asia (Study 2). PRD is more robustly associated with external than internal explanations for self and other-relevant outcomes (Studies 5–8), and within-person changes in PRD are positively associated with within-person changes in external explanations (month-to-month and day-to-day; Studies 7–8). Conclusions PRD is positively associated with external locus of control independent of socioeconomic status, within and between people, and across cultures. This research highlights the implications of PRD for people's construal of the causal forces that govern their lives.

KW - locus of control

KW - personal relative deprivation

KW - sense of control

KW - social status

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85207306559

U2 - 10.1111/jopy.12980

DO - 10.1111/jopy.12980

M3 - Article

SN - 0022-3506

VL - 93

SP - 845

EP - 865

JO - Journal of Personality

JF - Journal of Personality

IS - 4

ER -

Personal Relative Deprivation and Locus of Control

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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