Control-Value Theory

 

            Control-Value Theory is a combination of emotion and motivation. With this there is personal control across time frames and personal values for obtaining success. There are four different theories that are included under the Control-Value Theory. Those theories are Expectancy-Value Theory, Self-Efficacy Theory, Attribution Theory, and Appraisal Theory.

            The control part of Control-Value Theory is made up of the past, current, and future time frames. The past is made up of appraisals/attributions and internal/external perceptions of control. The current is made up of perceptions of ability/self-efficacy and choices. The future is made up of anticipated self-efficacy, anticipated outcomes, and future choices. The value part is made up of goals both extrinsic and intrinsic, reasons, incentives, personal values, etc. Those personal values are things such as personal growth, health, personal strivings, and valuing education.

            Dean is the type of person who always believes that he must be in control of everything in his life. If he loses that control, he begins to lose his grip on life, everything needs to be neat and orderly so that there are no mistakes. I do believe that this stems from the lack of control that he had as a child when his mother was murdered by the yellow-eyed demon in his brother’s nursery. As a child in that scenario there was nothing that he could do to save his mother, but he was able to save his little brother Sam who was just a baby at the time. This was just one of many moments in Dean’s life when he had no control over what happened.

            When it comes to the value part of the Control-Value Theory there are many aspects that can be focused on. One of which is personal strivings, meaning that they want to reach a certain goal. Whether it is being a good person or protecting others, there are many goals a person can strive for. Dean is someone that strives to be the best protector possible for his little brother, from childhood all the way up to adulthood, which is where the show takes place. This personal striving to be the best protector comes from when his father tells him to “watch out for Sammy” when he is a child. After being told this for most of his childhood this becomes a personal goal that Dean strives for his entire life. Throughout the series we can see many instances of Dean going to soft and extreme lengths to protect his brother from harm. Therefore, we could say that everything that Dean does in relation to his brother is inter-related with other emotions and motivations that he already has every day. Even though Dean believes that he is protecting his brother sometimes he is actually causing more harm than good to their relationship. So, it could be said that Dean's personal striving of being the best protector for his brother actually causes a negative reaction with his personal relationship with his brother.