The Theory of Control describes how human beings are wired to seek control over their lives and surroundings. We feel good when our actions produce predictable, desired outcomes, and distressed when events seem random, chaotic, or beyond our influence.
It is first mentioned in The 7 Skills to impress™ Part 1: Chapter 5.
According to Will Storr, (The Science of Storytelling – 2019), this primal drive for control shapes our emotions, beliefs, and behaviour, and sits at the heart of every compelling story: protagonists suffer when they lose control and grow when they regain it.
In psychological terms, the sense of control is fundamental to wellbeing; losing it triggers anxiety, anger, or helplessness. The same reactions seen when System 1 (the “Monkey Brain”) senses threat. Stories resonate because they mirror this universal struggle for regained control.