On whom do you rely—me, myself, and I? competence and control beliefs applied to the related personality model

Abstract Competence and control beliefs are surface traits that are internationally valued predictors in a broad range of application fields (e.g., in clinical, organizational, environmental, and educational psychology). These beliefs are assumed to have internal aspects, including self-efficacy, whereas the external aspects encompass social and fatalistic control. Social and action psychology have identified social and fatalistic aspects as a relevant part of control strategies, since they reflect the relationship between the individual and the social context. Contemporary personality models have also proposed that relatedness constitutes an integral part of personality’s structure and function. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of research examining the established control beliefs traits with regard to relatedness. In a multimethod study with N = 182 responses from Germany and Kenya, canonical correlations were computed and compared, to investigate the connections between generalized control beliefs and two relatedness indicators: Social skills and competencies provide the subjective basis for the actual exercise of control, being more or less instrumental. Within the socio-cultural context, axioms are beliefs pertaining to the means-ends-connections. Results point to the relevance of social and fatalistic control beliefs for the construct of control when applied to the related personality model. An update of available instruments is discussed to fit the current needs of changing cultures in the international context.