Imagine that you have just caught a cold and you are feeling really sick. How did you end up getting sick, was it just by chance, or was it because you were stressed and not monitoring your health? According to Julian Rotter's social learning theory, the two different mentalities that people have about the influence that they themselves have on the events in their lives can be classified into two different groups. Those with internal control believe that they are in control of their own behavior and the results that result from it. Conversely, those who exercise external control are more likely to believe that outcomes are beyond their control. The concept of locus of control between internal control and external control can be used to understand the expectations that people develop about many life events in relation to motivations for social behavior. When it comes to social behaviors, this concept helps us understand general and specific behaviors in children and adults. It is also used to better understand family dynamics, developmental processes, gender differences, mental disorders and possible treatments. One of the main features of Rotter's social learning theory is that it provides formulas that can be used to predict human behavior in social environments. in terms of expectations. His theory is considered both a process theory and a content theory in that it describes both the structural components of mental processes (the what) and the mechanisms that the structural components undergo for a given input (the how) to produce human behavior. Rotter offers two different formulas to help explain behavior based on reinforcement needs and expectations. The first is represented by the equation NP = f (FM & NV), ...... middle of article ......ouglas P. (2009). Module 13. Part 1: John Dollard and Neal Miller; RF Skinner [lecture notes]. Waterloo, Ontario: University of Waterloo. Crowne, Douglas P. (2009). Personality theory. 2nd edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press. pp. 404-494. Gale Research (2001). “Locus of Control.” Encyclopedia of childhood and adolescence. Accessed from < http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2602/is_0003/ai_2602000356/> on April 2, 2010. Means, Jack. (2009). The Social Learning Theory of Julian B. Rotter. Accessed from < http://psych.fullerton.edu/jmearns/rotter.htm> on April 1, 2010. Neill, James (2006). Accessed from <http://wilderdom.com/psychology/loc/LocusOfControlWhatIs.html> on April 1, 2010. Rotter, J. (1966). Generalized Expectations of Internal or External Control of Psychological Reinforcements, 80, Whole No.. 609.