The reasons behind the development of the need for successIntroduction In this essay the author will show how a life experience that happened right when she was born made her grow up with a strong need for success, related to the theories of self-actualization, self-efficacy and locus of control. According to SE Wood, EG Wood, and D. Boyd, authors of Mastering the World of Psychology (2011), the definition of need for achievement is “the need to accomplish something difficult and perform to a high standard of excellence” (p. 300). It's something that many people try to do on a daily basis, but for some people the need to achieve is something they need to do to feel fulfilled. According to Mastering the World of Psychology (2011), self-actualization has two definitions. The first is “the pursuit of self-defined goals for personal fulfillment and growth” and the other is “development to maximum potential” (pp. 302 and 371). These definitions mean more or less the same thing, but because of the way the author grew up they have different meanings. Now, self-efficacy and locus of control are two social-cognitive theories that influence a person's personality (Boyd, D., Wood, E.G., & Wood, S.E., 2011, p. 381). In Mastering the World of Psychology (2011), self-efficacy is defined as “a person's perception of his or her ability to competently perform whatever is attempted” and locus of control is defined as “…a cognitive factor which explains the way in which people account for what happens in their lives, both by seeing themselves primarily as those in control of their behavior and its consequences, and by perceiving what happens to them as being in the hands of fate, luck or chance” (Boyd, D., Wood, EG, & Wood, SE, p. 379). Discussion The author of this essay had to grow up being the only girl in thirteen years male cousins ​​who had the