According to Kuhl’s theory of action control, there are two kinds of dispositions: action orientation and state orientation. Recent empirical researches found that people who are state-oriented have many maladaptive behavioral symptoms. This study divided 113 college students into three kinds of action control dispositions: action orientation, cognitive state orientation, and emotional state orientation. The aim of this study was to explore the interaction effects between action control orientation and success/failure conditions on negative affective reaction, self-efficacy, and working memory capacity. A 3 (action control orientation) × 2 (conditions) × 2 (measurement occasion) mixed design was used. The following results were obtained: (a) in the failure condition, the emotional state-oriented scored higher in the posttest than in the pretest in negative affective reaction; (b) no matter which orientation the subjects were, in the failure condition, they scored lower in the posttest than in the pretest in self-efficacy; (c) no matter which orientation the subjects were and which condition they were in, they scored higher in the posttest than in the pretest in working memory capacity. Based on the findings in this research, implications for theory, practice and future research were discussed.