An 18-year-old says that it was just bad luck that he got in a motor vehicle accident and broke his arm. What is the client demonstrating by saying this?

External locus of control

Explanation:

Locus of control is a concept used in psychology to describe how people tend to attribute situations and experiences they face in life to their ability or inability to have control over these occurrences.

There are two types of locus of control that shape the personality and belief system of people, they are internal locus of control and external locus of control.

Internal locus of control refers to the belief of people that they have control over what happens to them, and often take credit for their successes or responsibility for their failures.

External locus of control on the other hand, describes how people believe that they have no control over what happens to them and often attribute their experiences and situations they face in life to external factors.

The 18-year-old is obviously demonstrating an external locus of control by attributing his misfortune to bad luck.