Sometimes life takes you strange places....like the Wisconsin Dells.
This reminds me of the concept "locus of control." An "internal locus of control" means that one believes that he/she can control many factors in life (Judge & Bono, 2001). In a study about locus of control and its relationship to work stress and depression among direct support professionals, it was found that workers with an internal locus of control lessened the negative effects of work overload and that these workers were less likely to be depressed than other workers (Gray-Stanley, Muramatsu, Heller, Hughes, Johnson, & Ramirez-Valles, 2010). When workers became overwhelmed by workplace and/or external stressors, other resources, such as the support of co-workers, appeared beneficial.
Being in the Wisconsin Dells was not my preference on a cold, snowy weekend in February. What I was able to control, however, was an hour of complete freedom, running the main thoroughfare through the water-park decorated destination. If only for an hour, the mastery and control over my environment alleviated stress and positively affected the rest of the weekend.
References:
Gray-Stanley, J.A., Muramatsu, N., Heller, T., Hughes, S., Johnson, T.P., & Ramirez-Valles, J. (2010). Work stress and depression among direct support professionals: the roles of work support and locus of control. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research: Jidr, 54, 8, 749-761.
Judge, T.A. & Bono, J.E. (2001). Relationship of Core Self Evaluations Traits - Self Esteem, Generalized Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, and Emotional Stability - With Job Satisfaction and Job Performance: A Meta Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 1, 80-92.
