Mike Zang - External vs. Internal Locus of Control

In psychology some dude Rotter devised a survey of about 20 questions that supposedly point towards how you view the forces of life at work. External locus of control implies outside forces acting upon the subject, whereas internal suggests that subjects provoke their own forces; essentially, we are in control of our fate. If we cut out the scientific objectivity that Rotter attempted to reach through this survey, I think his concept has a deeply mystical and spiritual component to it that pertains to myth. Allow me to elaborate by example:

Someone you haven't talked to in months pops into your head and later that day they call you. This incites a feeling of surprise. "What a coincidence!" But are these occurances mere coincidence. Just shear chance?

The rationalist side of my brain responds Yes. Most people would claim that it was just a random combination of two completely unrelated, uncorrelated, non-causal events. On the other hand however, perhaps the reason why they called you originated in the energy that your initial thought provided. Person A thinks of Person B, which trascendentally evokes a reponse in Person B resulting in the phone call.

This sounds reasonable, if you tolerate supernatural stuff like that, but the next question is: where (and how) does this chain of forces begin?

It is conceivable that Person A's so-called "initial" thought of B was actually incited by a previous thought produced by B about A. So Person B thinks of A, then A thinks of B, then B feels more confidant in the energy that accompanies the thoughts of A, which leads to the phone call. Perhaps? This chain of thought-events can theoretically run on forever until the beginning or non-beginning of the universe, much like Kant's discussion about the first Mover.

In contrast to the interal locus of control lays the possibility that the phone call wasn't chance nor internal evocation, but rather an external cosmological force. So, the origination of this phenomenon has arose not from A nor B, but rather a third and invisible party C, which has sort of "set the stage" or somehow managed to orchestrate this whole ordeal in the most unassuming and discrete of fashions.

If the external force does exist, maybe these haply coincidences function as its method of communication with concrete beings. These unlikely happenings are potential signs or omens, shimmering glimpses of something greater at work behind the scenes, or skulking in the unconscious.

I mention this concept to relate it to Narnia. In The Silver Chair, Eustace and Jill first believe they have summoned Narnia on their own, but as Chesteron says this is impossible because Faerie comes to us, we cannot go to Faerie. Soonafter, Aslan explains to the children that it was his initial thought/intention that stimulated them to attempt to summon Narnia. In this case, Aslan was Person A who cast the first thought that provoked Person B to call A.

I feel that Lewis would agree more with an external locus of control, claiming that because of Aslan's omnipresent status, he acts as Invisible Party C, outside of any internal locus - he is the cosmological force that coordinates such haphazard coincidences. Aslan provoked Eustace and Jill, who then evoked Narnia. It is plausible for us to go further and suggest that maybe the children's initial thought of Aslan made Aslan think to allow the children to summon Narnia, which then made Aslan provoke the children, who then evoked Narnia. Insanely convoluted, I know!

Obviously, the chain of forces can run on infinitely. I do not doubt a cosmological force, but I also do not doubt the efficacy of the internal forces. For the most, it's reasonable to conclude that that both work interdependently and simultaneously more or less, and at different moments during different situations. Where do you think these forces originate? Can there be an Invisible Third Party C or are these types of ordeals just coincidence? Or do we internally arouse them? It's something to keep in mind as you read Lewis's myth.


And just for the record:
My posts #1,3,and 4 should count as outside readings
#2 should count as a Lewis reflection

This one is as follows