Assessed the effects of a self-control program on increasing personal control and ameliorating alcohol abuse. 8s attended two groups per week for 3 weeks and were administered the Experienced Control scale before and after treatment and on follow-up. All Ss showed increased control over internal stresses across treatment. Internally oriented Ss in the experimental group showed increased control over external stresses, while internals in the control condition showed no change. Self-monitoring externals did not change over treatment, but increased significantly over follow-up. Control externals changed over treatment, but not on follow-up. Internally oriented Ss both monitored frequently and appeared to benefit from the use of self-monitoring of drinking antecedents. Externals showed more indefinite results, as selfmonitoring Ss evidenced a slower, somewhat "delayed" increase in adaptive self-control when compared to self-monitoring internals.
Learning theory formulations of alcohol or drug abuse (Bandura, 1969; suggest that the extension of behavior therapies to alcoholism might prove efficacious in dealing with this problem. For example, self-monitoring procedures (Thoresen & Mahoney, 1974) might be utilized in the control of drinking or other behaviors associated with drinking. Thoresen (Note 1) and Sobell and demonstrated the applicability of this technique in reducing alcohol consumption by instructing patients in self-monitoring of amount of alcohol consumed. On the assumption that various preceding events (e.g., spatial, temporal, affective) may increase the probability of drinking, self-monitoring and subsequent alteration of antecedents to drinking might have a beneficial effect on treatment outcome. Hence, successful self-management of those behaviors that antedate excessive alcohol use is emphasized.
O'Leary, Donovan, and O'Leary (1976) found that alcoholic Ss evidenced increased experiences of personal control as a function of inpatient treatment, which supports the notion that perception of control can improve with treatment. found in a related study that alcoholics with an internal control locus experience greater control over interpersonal and intra-personal stress than do alcoholics with a relatively external control locus. Internality, as measured by the I-E scale , does appear to be related to differences in personal control (Tiffany, 1967) in a manner that may contribute t o prognosis in alcohol treatment. The present study was designed to investigate whether changes in personal control can be influenced by a specific program designed to increase selfcontrol and whether such a program is more beneficial to internals or externals.