Hi, today I would like to share about the interesting topic, namely " Does man have the power to claim his efforts if God does in reality?", The reason I choose this topic is because many people feel proud of what they do and quickly feel desperate easily if what they do does not meet expectations. If we learn about the concept of religious determinism (destiny) and human agency (effort), In fact, humans are only God's tools, while the power of intention to do it comes from humans themselves, when human believe what they do comes from what they effort, at that condition human will lose its power because human deliberately take an authority from God's will, I don't recommend if I were you because this kind of responsibility is truly hard, my question is "how can human take authority from God to claim what they do is 100% belong to theirs?"...so I will answer that question, human only have authority around 20% whereas the end results 80% comes from destiny, it's Pareto law, now we talk about In psychology, the main focus is not on the theological truth of such destiny, but rather on how beliefs about destiny or effort that can influence human mental health and behavior.
Here are several psychological perspectives to analyze this phenomenon:
1. Locus of Control
Psychologist Julian Rotter introduced the concept of Locus of Control to explain where a person feels the control over their life comes from:
- Internal: The belief that life outcomes are determined by one's own decisions and efforts.
- External: The belief that life is determined by external forces (fate, luck, or destiny).
Psychologically, claiming effort outcomes as "one's own" (internal) builds self-efficacy (belief in one's abilities). However, if taken to an extreme, this can trigger severe stress or depression when facing failure, as a person will blame themselves entirely.
2. Psychological Effects of "Surrender"
In positive psychology, the view that the final outcome is in God's hands (destiny) serves as a very strong coping mechanism:
- Emotional Regulation: When a person has done their utmost but the result is not as expected, attributing it to destiny prevents the collapse of self-esteem. It acts as a "safety valve" so that humans do not feel existentially failed.
- Acceptance: Understanding that there are variables beyond human control (such as the global economy, weather, or other people's decisions) helps a person maintain mental stability.
3. Tension Between Process and Outcome
Modern psychology, such as Carol Dweck's Growth Mindset theory, suggests that humans should claim the process, not just the outcome.
- Claiming Effort: Humans have the right (and psychological need) to claim their hard work, discipline, and perseverance. This is a controllable area.
- Letting Go of Outcomes: Letting go of claims over the final outcome (outcome = destiny) actually frees humans from excessive anxiety (performance anxiety).
4. Self-Serving Bias
There is a cognitive tendency where humans tend to claim success as the result of their own hard work, but attribute failure to "destiny" or "bad luck".
Psychologically, healthy integration means acknowledging the role of effort in achieving success (for motivation), while still maintaining humility that there are external factors (destiny) that enable those efforts to bear fruit.
Conclusion
From a psychological perspective, humans need to claim their efforts to maintain motivation and personal responsibility. However, letting go of claims over the final outcome to destiny is a very healthy way to maintain mental health, avoid arrogance when successful, and prevent despair when failing.
