Well-Being, Adjustment, and Health

Abstract

Inevitably, discussions about desire for control get around to the question of whether people with a high desire for control or people with a low desire for control are better adjusted and happier. Not surprisingly, I typically find that high desire for control people say that they are better off psychologically, while low desire for control people maintain the opposite. Although a case can be made for both of these positions, the research reviewed in this chapter indicates that a simple answer to the question probably is not possible. As I will discuss at the end of the chapter, most likely both high desire for control people and low desire for control people can be well-adjusted and happy, depending upon many other factors.