confidence vs. humbleness

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Hi everyone, I've taken a few psychology courses in university and since I've graduated, I can't find a person to clarify things for me. I'm glad to have found this forum.

I'm very confused about the relationship between the relationships between humbleness, confidence and external locus of control.

1) Humbleness - I used to think that humbleness means strong external locus of control. The person would attribute success with luck, fate, God, other peoples' help, etc.

2) Confidence is normally associated with strong internal locus of control.

However, humble people with strong external locus of control CAN BE CONFIDENT too. I came across an example of Moses, who is known for his humility. "The truly humble individual is keenly aware of all his strengths and qualities—but simultaneously recognizes that all these talents are God-given, and therefore do not constitute a reason to feel superior to another whom God has not bequeathed such talents."

All the sudden, it seems that a humble/confident person can have a strong internal and external locus of control. It seems contradicting. Can someone please clarify this via the internal/external locus of control model?

Thanks a million!

 

[walt55054life]

Serenity prayer.....explains confidence and humbleness

 

[Optoed]

Serenity prayer.....explains confidence and humbleness

umm. thanks! Any other explanations?

 

[KillerDiller]

This isn't my area, but I'll give it a shot. Locus of control isn't an overarching construct that explains all of human behavior. Isn't it possible that confidence and locus of control are completely independent constructs? Or confidence and humbleness for that matter? Even if we grant that locus of control is significantly related to confidence/humbleness, there are still going to be many other personality factors (not to mention situational factors) that come into play.

Also, I don't think one can reconstruct an accurate psychological profile of biblical characters.

 

[GradSchool2011]

As with any construct, it really depends on how is it being defined? It seems humbleness can refer to someone who is meak, of lower social position, or to an attitude characterized by modesty (e.g. unpretentious). The Moses example would be the last.

Agreed that locus of control is not fixed, and does vary situational.

 

[cara susanna]

Humility, not humbleness.