Powerlessness, Social‐Political Action, Social‐Political Views: Their Interrelation among College Students¹

Abstract

Powerlessness, as measured by externality on the I‐E Scale, was investigated as an individual difference between college students who take social‐political action and those who do not. Questionnaires, including Rotter's I‐E Scale, measures of social‐political activity, and measures of social‐political views were administered to UCLA undergraduates. For males, externality was positively correlated with social‐political activity, particularly protest activity, and with left‐wing views. These correlations primarily reflected the externality of left‐wing activists and the internality of non‐left‐wing nonactivists. For females, I‐E scores were unrelated to views or to action. Implications for the meaning of the I‐E Scale and the nature of student activism were discussed.