I think some of the internal vs external locus of control stuff comes from the welfare system. If you’re on most kinds of public support, you are not allowed to save up for college, or to take other kinds or present-day sacrifice in order to build up for the future.

Since most of what makes your future better is composed of those present sacrifices, along with someone else seeing how hard you are working to better yourself and giving you a boost, this seriously compromises people’s ability to improve their future.