Class 2 Kurt Lewin

1. Class 2 Kurt Lewin 1890-1947 Father of Modern Social Psychology “Nothing is as practical as a good theory” “B = (P * S)”: Behavior is function of Person and Situation

2. Lewin Biography Trained in classic Gestalt psych, but departs from it. Serves in German army during WW I. “Life space” influenced by infantryman experience. Immigrates to USA from Germany in 1932, flees Nazis Profound ideological connection to USA, democracy, and Zionism (creation of Israel). Planned to move Research Center for Group Dynamics (now at U. Mich.) to Israel before early death at age 57. Theorizing and some experiments reflect democratic ideals. Lewin draws heavily from real-life, “homey”, day-to-day situations.

3. Lewin’s Contribution a. Life space: temporal and reality/irreality dimensions, can include uncons. proc. b. Channel factors gatekeepers c. Tension systems: Zeigarnic Effect Psychological Confict d. Group dynamics, Leadership climate “democratic groups”

4. Gestalt, Tension, and the Lewinian Legacy Wertheimer: Classic Gestalt--closure Lewin: Tension systems, incomplete tasks Festinger: Cognitive Dissonance E. Aronson: Self and Cognitive Dissonance Steele: Self Affirmation vs. Dissonance

5. Lewin’s Attention to Every Day Events 1. How landscape appears to soldier, as he/she approaches front  Life Space. 2. How to get Americans to change diets  channel factors, gate keepers. 3. Waiter’s memory for un-paid bill  tension systems, Zeigarnik Effect. 4. Workers’ appreciation of attention, WPA leaders leadership styles  Democratic vs. Authoritarian Climates.

6. Life Space Objective Space: Toy blocked by barrier Child seeks toy, can’t reach it Father is some distance behind child Life Space: Toy blocked by barrier Child seeks father, who can reach toy Father is envisioned obtaining toy Life Space is not simply “subjective reality”. Elements can be unconscious. Life Space is the way elements are psychologically arrayed, in explaining behavior.

7. Channel Factors and Gatekeepers Lewin at U. Iowa: How change US diets to eat liver, kidney, etc. a. Identify channels: Small obstacles matter. "Give a map" b. Identify gatekeepers: Moms

8. Goals and Tension Systems Goals: People are goal-oriented; to understand a person’s behavior— including perceptions and judgment—must know his/her goal. Goals and values: Who likes rich, lush field? Who doesn’t? Goals interact with situations in defining “Life Space” Tension-systems: Tension arises when goals are blocked, are in conflict, or are uncompleted. a. Are goals always conscious? b. Is tension always conscious? c. Is tension fundamentally a good or bad thing?

9. Psychological Conflicts Approach / Approach Approach / Avoidance Avoidance / Avoidance Ask for Raise / Get Turned Down Approach / Avoidance Approach / Approach See New Movie or See New Play? Avoidance / Avoidance DMZ for 5 Hrs. / Denied Vote What emotions do these create? Why these emotions arise? How resolve these emotions? Frustration, anxiety, tension Mutually-opposed goals “Leave the Field” Cognitive Dissonance

10. Zeigarnik Effect Bluma Zeigarnik, 1927 Lewin at beer garden—waiter’s memory—why? People compelled to satisfy valued goals. Interrupted / blocked goals create tension. Tension keeps uncompleted goals salient. Memory: Interrupted tasks better remembered. Relevance to trauma, emotions? Preference: Interrupted tasks preferred over completed tasks. Relevance to mental life vs. Behaviorism?

11. Leadership Styles: Democratic, Laissez Faire, Authoritarian Democratic: Enlists input, listens to others, but has final say. Laissez Faire: Does not direct at all. Authoritarian: Demands unquestioned obedience. When leader is present, which group(s) most productive? Democratic and Authoritarian When leader is absent, which group(s) most productive? Democratic

12. T Groups and Hawthorne Effect Training Groups (“T Groups): Idea that people who work on same task benefit from open-ended, non-judgmental conversation on their own group dynamics. Hawthorne Effect: Motivation and morale of those on task increases when they are included in decision making.

13. Leadership, Morale, and Time Perspective JFK Lincoln Churchill Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Four score and seven years ago... Now we are engaged in a great civil war... dedicated to the great task remaining before us ...

14. 2 3 1 IVs: Optimism, Pessimism, Emotions, Age

15. In-Class Timeline Study Opt’sm Pes’sm Happy Angry Scared Sad Age .39 -.32 .57* .33 .11 -.01 -.51* .48+ -.07 .64* .15 .06 .19 -.26 .01 -.18 .42+ .15 .06 .19 -.26 .01 -.18 .42+ .04 -.16 .21 -.44+ .35 -.25 .72** .21 -.01 .19 -.54* -.28 .37 .16 .10 -.09 .25 -.22 .37 -.09 .83** .09 -.02 -.03 -.42 First Time Point Second Time Point Third Time Point Ave. Time Point Time-frame Width Most Past Point Most Future Point

16. Time Perspective and Mental Illness Ellenhorn, R. (under review). Help that Harms: The Treatment for Mental Illness and Its Attack on the Self Timeline completed by mental health patient. Hash lines = important events. Present Past Future

17. Action Research and Social Justice

18. Lewin's Empirical Humanism Social Perception: To understand people (and their behavior) you must: A. Understand the situation they are in B. Understand the situation they see themselves as being in "To substitute the for that world of the individual the world ... of the physicist, or anybody else, is not to be objective, but wrong." "Naive Psychology" pretty good. Is scientific psych. as smart as 3 yr old? Social psych: Need to determine proper size of observational unit. Too long obsessed with smallest possible unit. "A doctor who cuts up an X-Ray into small pieces, classifies them into shades of gray, would have destroyed what he wants to observe." Social perception governed by same laws as physical perception

19. Lewin Discussion Questions 1. Kurt Lewin said that people seek homeostasis—a state of equilibrium where tension is minimal. But that sounds boring. Most people seek tension, such as sports, romance, scary movies. How does Lewin explain this? 2. The Zeigarnik Effect says that uncompleted goals stay alive in memory. How might Zeig. Effect relate to intrusive memories/intrusive emotions? 3. Lewin observes that organized groups are more persistent, more motivated--but that fear spreads more quickly through them. Why? 4. Can observation and interpretation ever be kept separate? Can a person be trained to do keep them separate, as Lewin suggests? 5. Lewin says reduced morale "narrows" life space. What does this mean? What are examples? 6. "Realism is key to morale": Does this have any relevance to medical practice?