Self-consciousness and locus of control

Private Self-Consciousness and Self-Monitoring on Instagram: The Mediating Effect of Internal Locus of Control and Self-Concept

Past studies examining the direct relationship between private self-consciousness and online self-presentation behavior have not met with much success. The aim of this study was to examine the direct relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring as well as the indirect relationship between these two variables through the mediation of locus of control and self-concept among Instagram users. Besides investigating locus of control and self-concept independently, serial mediation of locus of control and self-concept in the relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring was also examined. A sample of 309 university students was conveniently drawn from three private universities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants completed a survey that collected data on private self-consciousness, internal locus of control, self-concept, self-monitoring on Instagram and relevant demographic data. Results of this study showed that there is no direct relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring on Instagram. Independently, locus of control was found to mediate the relationship between private self-consciousness and self-monitoring while self-concept did not. The serial-multiple mediation test supported the mediating role of locus of control and self-concept on this relationship. These indirect relationships contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanism through which private self-consciousness influences self-monitoring on Instagram.

Locus of Control and Persuasion, Social Influence, and Conformity: A Meta-Analytic Review

This study is a meta-analytic review of studies on the average effect size for internal and external locus of control with persuasability, social influence, and conformity. Most research indicates that those who score higher on external locus of control tend to be more easily persuaded, socially influenced, and conforming than those who score as internal in locus of control. Therefore, it was hypothesized that people who score as external in locus of control will be more persuaded and more socially influenced and they conformed more than those scoring higher as internal in locus of control. A test of homogeneity indicated no significant differences among results of the studies included in this analysis. The average correlation was .37 for the relationship between scores of internal and external locus of control measured by various generalized locus of control measures with scores on persuasion, social influence, and conformity.