30. Illusion of Control
Tendency for people to overestimate their ability to control events can appear in different areas. For example, it can be control of luck by proxy, when a person uses a thing or a ritual to influence luck. The phenomenon can be explained in terms of a confusion between skill and chance situations. Or in terms of seeking to reassert control in conditions of chaos creating this illusion.
Additional information:
EJ Langer, “The illusion of control”, Journal of personality and social psychology, 1975