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Does the mind have some form of external and internal influences?

I'm struggling with the focus of imposing the concept of external and internal influences of the mind.
Because ideas are influenced by words and sentence, and words and sentence are influenced by ideas. If the internal becomes external and the external becomes internal...then I don't have the words to describe it.

The way I see it, simply, knowledge is made up of mostly external experiences, when turned internal, projected mostly external again. I feel like thoughts journey their way out, a way from their origin even if in a circular orbit.

(I don't know if previous topics we've discussed apply to "your" or "mine" "answer(s)", I haven't had time to go back and completely absorb the concepts.)

This was a interesting reply I got, I searched it and found this for starters.

Quote:

The term locus of control was first introduced in the 1950s by psychologist Julian Rotter. It refers to a person's basic belief system about the influences that affect outcomes in their lives. There are two classifications of people in this theory: internal and external locus of control. The most successful people tend to be internal, while those with an external locus of control tend to be more negative about the world and their place in it.
People with an internal locus of control believe that they are primarily responsible for the outcomes in their lives. These people tend to be self-reliant and believe that nothing can hold them back except themselves. Studies have shown that those with an internal locus of control tend to be more successful people because they believe they can be and work toward that goal. Men tend to be more internally focused, while studies have also shown that the older a person gets the more internally focused they become.

Those with an external locus of control believe that forces outside of themselves affect their ability to succeed. They tend to stake their future on things such as fate, luck, god or society. Because they believe they have very little personal stake in their future, those with an external locus of control tend to put less effort forward on most projects. Studies show that they are generally less successful in college and career than those with an internal locus of control.

There are many simple locus of control tests available. Most will ask questions pertaining to a person's belief in themselves. The original test was created by Rotter in 1966. It contained questions that required an "a" or "b" response. An example of a question on this test is the following: a) Many of the unhappy things in people's lives are partly due to bad luck. b)People's misfortunes result from the mistakes they make. Those with an internal locus of control would answer "a," while those with an external locus of control would answer "b."

Very few people are singularly internal or external. The Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale places people on a scale, with one end the extreme external and at the other the extreme internal. Tests with individuals show which way they lean and if they have a sense of balance between the two extremes.

Attribution Theory

It is often believed that those with an external locus of control are destined to be unhappy. There is no guarantee that those with an external locus of control are unable to be successful nor that they are unhappy. Many with this focus are able to see life as a series of fated events that they can just as easily fall on the good side of. Some are able to find freedom in this concept and live happy lives in the process.

It's only about how you put it, actually. First I read "internal influences" I first thought you meant impulses or animalistic needs driving people to do stuff. But the quote you put on your post explains them in a different way and differentiates them in being mentally self-sufficient or not.

Some may later base their life on the influences and knowledge they already gained up until that point in their life and be able to compare those ideas and choose whatever is fitting before welcoming any other (internal locus of control) or open to many other ideas that may come and just welcoming every idea which leads to many self discussions and dilemmas (external locus of control). It's a very basic logic that's used in that quote; so basic I wouldn't even call it scientific, which simply says the more you hold onto your own life, you get happier. Really? My fortune cookie said that too, but it doesn't make it a psychologist.

To me, both simply exists and shapes your life and you have little to no effect on which one to choose (internal or external) everytime. You shouldn't, too. If you go too internal you're just a paranoid planner, and if you go too external you're just a puppet of someone else.

I'm a failure at life. I can't even sign up for college classes by my self. My mother helps me. My mother helps me bank. I don't have a girlfriend. Over all I am pretty unresponsive. People don't respect me.

I have so little independence, to the point where I think I've been damaged and had too much of cluster in my brain yesterday to even work a pricing gun...

I'm a failure. I wish I had a strong father figure growing up. I'm a loser. I wish i had a internal locus of control. I'm influenced more by others than myself, my life lacks value, lacks contribution, I rest in the hands of fate of others and they give into me and abide me because that's the only way I can function any more as a pathetic nonindependent loser who struggles every day to understand the human race and yet won't ever be in control of his own life because he's had 16 or more damn years of introversion and being helped...

I'm a failure.

o_O

1- Learn.
2- Draw or play an instrument.
3- Make fun of people who are not able to think as deeply as you.
4- Self-esteem bruddah. If you don't love yourself don't expect others to do so.

Maybe you're right. Every once in a while I just get down. I'm taking this all too seriously. I'm a self help addict.

Emotions, yeah, I can't say anything intelligent right now. I'm in a "mood".
I've been considering Buddhism for quite some time.

Any ways, now that I had my New Years episode...

"The sociologists Berger and Luckmann use these three terms

Internalisation
Objectivation and Processing
Externalisation

to explain how we become human, interpret the world, become part of our culture, react to our culture and in doing so, affect it.

This article gives you the details of their explanation
scroll down to the section with the two columns on: MOMENTS in these three processes

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~s2005...28apr04%29.pdf

"

I should read more often, it would save me some time :D

Have you tried psychiatric help? I had for the first 21 years of my life, and decided to go back again to get my life back on track again.

Thing is, the only one who can help you is yourself, but sometimes we need help in figuring out for ourselves what is what makes us feel like that. A psychiatrist can never cure you, as he / she never comes with solutions. The only one who does come with solutions is you. A psychiatrist is only there to guide you into finding the answer.

It's kind of like GPS. GPS only is a guide into bringing you to your destination, in the end, you have to get there by yourself. GPS can't drive the car for you.

As far as I know I've never been helped by one before:D
Thank you for sharing. I friend requested you.