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“It is this perception of the ability ‘to do something’ that gives rise to the concept of
perceived control” (Lefcourt 1976:5) No doubt when a person is given the responsibility to
control a commodity or a situation, they instantly feel their value rise as an individual, and as a
decision maker. To think such control when handed to a child would be misused is instinctive,
because it is common knowledge that a child is incapable of making adequate decisions.
Consequently, when given to a child this control can bring complications into their life that they
are unqualified to comprehend at a young age. However, when adults are given control over an
individual or a situation, they are expected to be fully aware of their actions, whether they are
being just or unjust with their control. For this reason, when the time for taking action arrives,
adults are capable of using or misusing this power, especially when there is no one to hold them
accountable for their actions. Similarly, when an orphan child is taken in by apparently adequate
caregivers, control over the child is handed to the adults leaving them to choose whether they
want to treat or mistreat the orphaned child. In Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and
Anne of Green Gables, we can see how the individuality of the orphaned protagonists is framed
and guided by their relationship with their care givers, which further determines their locus of
control, ability to pursue a passion, and increased or decreased level of adjustment to their
environment.
From personality psychology we learn the concept of locus of control, which refers to a
person’s ability to control the way they adjust their behaviour to their environment. There are
two aspects to this concept, an external and internal. A person with an external locus of control
