TTLA: The Influence of Control Focus on Students' Perceptions of Happiness

1. Full name of the doctoral candidate:DANG HOANG NGAN2. Gender: Female

3. Date of birth: January 14, 1989 4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Decision No. 3216/2014/QD-XHNV-SDH, dated December 31, 2014, recognizing doctoral students.

6. Changes in the training process: Change of doctoral dissertation title according to Decision No. 1017/QD-XHNV dated March 29, 2016

7. Thesis title: The Influence of Control Focus on Students' Perception of Happiness

8. Major: Psychology 9. Code: 62 31 04 01

10. Scientific supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Hang

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Sinh Phuc

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

The focus of the control system predicts better psychological well-being than it predicts life satisfaction.

Internal control focus predicts enhanced feelings of happiness, strongest in the areas of life planning, personal growth, and self-acceptance, and negligible in the area of ​​belonging to a group. External control focus predicts a negligible decrease in feelings of happiness.

Reducing the focus of internal control to a moderate level indicates higher happiness (men, students in romantic relationships, youngest children). Furthermore, a high focus of external control is not always associated with unhappiness. When believing that external factors strongly influence their lives, many groups of subjects (women, eldest children, only children, students with average, weak, or poor academic performance, students with religious beliefs) exhibit positivity in multiple dimensions of happiness.

Indirect influence models assert that: individual equality and hierarchical community structure increase the focus of internal control, thereby increasing feelings of happiness. External control causes stress, leading to decreased feelings of happiness. Internal control reduces stress, making individuals happier. Coping based on internal resources increases the focus of internal control, thereby increasing feelings of happiness. Beliefs in external control, luck, and fate reduce planning behaviors and increase self-blame, leading to less self-acceptance.

12. Practical applications: Based on the research results, the thesis proposes several practical measures to enhance feelings of happiness through adjusting the control focus and related variables.

Regarding the training institution: since the focus on internal control has a significant impact on students' sense of happiness in terms of self-realization, the philosophy and specific activities should be geared towards enhancing students' confidence and experience of mastery.

For students and those interested in happiness: recognizing areas of unhappiness is the first step in becoming happier. Next, it's crucial to identify the controlling belief systems that are hindering happiness. Identifying, committing to, and experimenting with coping strategies tailored to these controlling belief systems is key to enhancing happiness.

13. Future research directions:

- Taking into account the cultural differences within East Asia, which are evident in the very concept itself.

- Examine the influence of the control focus on perceived happiness across different age groups.

- Research conducted on a group of subjects experiencing or at risk of psychological distress.

- Taking into account the situational factors that give rise to the belief in control.

- Long-term research on the relationship between focus of control and perceived happiness, aiming to examine how beliefs about control change over time and across individuals' learning experiences.

14. Published works related to the dissertation

[1]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2016), “Testing Julian Rotter’s internal-external control focus scale on student subjects”,Journal of Psychology(7), pp.69-81.

[2]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2017), “Adaptation of Carol Ryff’s Psychological Happiness Perception Scale on Student Subjects”,Journal of Psychology(2), pp.77-89.

[3]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2017), “The relationship between happiness perception and stress”,Journal of Psychology(10), pp.90-99.

[4]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2017), “The influence of the focus of control on psychological happiness perception”,Proceedings of the First Southeast Asian Regional International Conference on Psychology “Human Happiness and Sustainable Development”Volume 1, Hanoi National University Publishing House, pp. 122-130.

[5]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2018). Some issues on evaluating happiness perception in psychological research.Proceedings of the 2017 Conference of Young Scientists and Postgraduate Students: “Vietnamese Social Sciences and Humanities in the Process of Globalization”. National University of Hanoi Publishing House, pp. 288-302.

INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS

1. Full name:DANG HOANG NGAN2. Sex: Female

3. Date of birth: 14^thJanuary 1989 4. Place of birth: Hanoi

5. Admission decision number: 3216/2014/QD-XHNV-SDH, dated on 31^stDecember 2014

6. Changes in academic process: change of thesis title shown on decision number: 1017/QD-XHNV, dated on 29^thMars 2016

7. Official thesis title: Effect of locus of control on well-being among college students

8. Major: Psychology 9. Code: 62 31 04 01

10. Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thi Minh Hang

Associate Professor Nguyen Sinh Phuc

11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:

Locus of control predicts psychological well-being better than satisfaction with life.

Internal locus of control enhances feeling of happiness, especially purpose of life, self-development, self-acceptance, slightly for perceptions of belonging to a group. External locus of control reduces well-being but with a slightly significant level.

Reducing internal locus of control to average level represents a higher well-being (among men, students having a romantic relationship, youngest child in the family). In addition, high external locus of control does not always lead to ill-being. Believing that external factors are strongly influencing our lives, many groups (eg female, middle child in the family, students with average or below average academic results) express the positivity in many domains of well-being.

Moderator models show that vertical individualism, hierarchical collectivism increase internal control focus, thereby increasing well-being. External locus of control causes stress, leading to a reduced sense of well-being. Internal locus of control reduces stress, leading individuals to a better state of well-being. Internal resources based coping increase internal locus of control, thereby increasing sense of well-being. External locus of control in luck, fate reduces planning behavior, increases self-blame behavior, thus leading less individuals accepting themselves.

12. Practical applicability: Some implications based on research results are suggested:

For universities: As internal locus of control significantly affects eudaimonia well-being among students, thus, study process and college activities should emphasize students' autonomy.

For students: There are stages for being well: (1) Recognizing the domain with which one is not satisfied; (2) Identifying the locus of control style that involves; (3) Identifying, experiencing coping styles related to the locus of control style.

13. Future research directions:

- Investigate the cultural differences in concepts (well-being and locus of control)

- Examine the effect of locus of control on well-being among people of different ages.

- Examine the effect of locus of control on well-being among people suffering from psychological disorders.

- Investigate situations which define belief of control.

- Carry out a longitudinal research on the effect of locus of control on well-being, moderated by people's learning experiences.

14. Thesis-related publications:

[1]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2016), “Testing the Julian Rotter's IE scale among students”,Journal of Psychology(7), pp.69-81.

[2]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2017), “Adaptation of The Carol Ryff Scale of Psychological Well-being among students”,Journal of Psychology(2), pp.77-89.

[3]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2017), “Relationship between well-being and stress”,Journal of Psychology(10), pp.90-99.

[4]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2017), “Effect of locus of control on psychological well-being”,Proceedings of The 1st International Conference of Southeast Asian Psychology "Well-being and Sustainable Development”volume 1, Vietnam National University in Hanoi Publishing, pp.122-130.

[5]. Dang Hoang Ngan (2018). “Well-being assessment issues in psychological research”,Proceedings of The Conference for young employees and graduated students in 2017: “Vietnam social sciences and humanities in the process of globalization”. Vietnam National University in Hanoi Publishing, pp.288-302.