Secondary control reviewed and defined
Morling and Evered note that conclusions about secondary control have been hindered by researchers' differing interpretations of the construct. Their review offers a definition that reflects common ground and the spirit of the original article by Rothbaum, Weisz and Snyder: secondary control is the process by which people adjust some aspect of the self and accept circumstances as they are. They identify a fit versus control dimension for classifying research. They conclude that fit-focused secondary control is adaptive for coping, is relatively preferred in interdependent cultural contexts and may serve the motivation for relatedness.
Morling and Evered note that conclusions about secondary control have been hindered by researchers' differing interpretations of the construct. Their review offers a definition that reflects common ground and the spirit of the original article by Rothbaum, Weisz and Snyder: secondary control is the process by which people adjust some aspect of the self and accept circumstances as they are. They identify a fit versus control dimension for classifying research. They conclude that fit-focused secondary control is adaptive for coping, is relatively preferred in interdependent cultural contexts and may serve the motivation for relatedness.
Written from the abstract as shown on the OpenAlex record, read 2026-11-04.
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Morling, B., & Evered, S. (2006). Secondary control reviewed and defined. Psychological Bulletin, 132(2), 269-296