Date of Submission
2004
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Department
Psychology
Department Chair
Arthur Freeman, Ed.D., ABPP
First Advisor
Arthur Freeman, Ed.D., Chairperson
Second Advisor
Christopher Royer, Psy.D.
Third Advisor
J. Steven Backels, Ph.D.
Abstract
The importance of perceived control in people's lives is vast. Indeed, there is much research to support the notion that the perception of control is as important, if not more important, than actual control. This idea can be instrumental in therapy. Patients may have a sense of control in one area, but not in another, and this may cause problems for them. It is likely that an understanding of how much control they believe they have could help patients in therapy. This study outlined the historical and research aspects of the constructs of control and of perceived control, its general importance and its importance in therapy, as well as in psychopathologies where control is an issue, in the multiple terms for the construct, the manner in which it was defined for this study, and the process of the development and validation of a scale of perceived control in multiple domains: the Perceived Control Across Domains Scale. The results of this study suggest that participants could not differentiate between cognitive and behavioral items, that perceived control in this study emerged as six factors consisting of 17 items, and that perceived control differed between genders in the areas of food intake, influence on environment, and aggression.
Recommended Citation
Davis, Beth Arburn, "Development and Validation of a Scale of Perceived Control Across Multiple Domains" (2004). PCOM Psychology Dissertations. 37.
https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/psychology_dissertations/37