Background
Kurt Lewin was born in Mogilno, Prussia (now Poland), on September 9, 1899 into a middle-class Jewish family. The family moved to Berlin in 1905.
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1935
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1964
(Kurt Lewin is best known as the foremost proponent of "fi...)
Kurt Lewin is best known as the foremost proponent of "field theory" - the notion that individuals, and the groups that surround them, are not independent elements but interdependent. The social group, Lewin believed, is the primary shaper of a person's thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The concept is now so commonly held that it's hard to imagine that it was ever considered "groundbreaking". Yet it doesn't begin to cover the range of pioneering work that Lewin contributed to social and personality psychology. Through his prolific research and writing, he brought innovative concepts to both the methods and the language of social psychology. Throughout his life, Lewin struggled to adhere to his self-imposed vision of the researcher who maintains a "constant intense tension" between theory and reality. His favourite metaphor was that of a bridge, connecting research with action, laboratory with community. This reprinted volume seeks to reacquaint students and historians of psychology with Lewin's enduring contributions to social psychology. Translated from the German, it provides a foray into Lewin's work and into his idiosyncratic vision.
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1997
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1997
(One of the most influential social scientists of the 20th...)
One of the most influential social scientists of the 20th century, Kurt Lewin continues to exercise significant influence on contemporary psychological theory, research and practice. Today's scholars frequently cite his thought and research, but Lewin's original writings are increasingly difficult to find. Now, "The Complete Social Scientist: A Kurt Lewin Reader" makes available 15 out-of-print articles, including two never before available in English translation. This wide-ranging collection acquaints contemporary scholars with Lewin's fundamental work. The articles offer evidence of the workings of an innovative mind engaged in the philosophy of science in social, personality, motivation and developmental psychology; in applying psychology to the amelioration of social problems; and in formulating social policy. Each article in this anthology remains a relevant contribution to the world's culture. Together, they reflect the extraordinary range of Lewin's intellectual activity as a philosopher of science, research psychologist, applied psychologist and sage.
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1999
(This Field Theory Classic by Kurt Lewin was originally pr...)
This Field Theory Classic by Kurt Lewin was originally presented as a paper at a Symposium on Psychology and Scientific Method held as part of the Sixth International Congress for the Unity of Science at The University of Chicago in 1941. At the time Lewin was arguing that Field theory was probably best characterized as a method of analyzing causal relations and of building scientific constructs. Defining The Field At A Given Time (Kindle edition) forms part of an initiative by the website www.all-about-psychology.com to make important, insightful and engaging psychology publications widely available.
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2011
(This book is an early effort to establish the principles ...)
This book is an early effort to establish the principles of his force field analysis. An attempt is made to describe the position of the concept of force in psychology and to discuss major methods of measuring psychological forces. One of the outstanding properties of force is its directedness. Direction in psychology cannot be defined as physical direction and cannot be determined by Euclidian geometry. A geometry applicable in psychology is that of hodological space. The geometrical properties of this space are described, and examples of its application in determining directions and distances in the life space are offered. The conceptual properties of the construct of force are given, as well as a definition coordinating it with observable processes. The conceptual and dynamic relation between psychological forces, valences, and tensions are discussed, as are certain basic theories concerning the relation between need, environment, and the "mechanics" of locomotion. Various methods of measuring forces and valences are surveyed, especially those related to opposing forces and to velocity of locomotion, including velocity and restlessness, consumption, translocation, and learning. The problem of the structure of the force field and of overlapping force fields is discussed, including several choice and conflict situations with stable and labile equilibria.
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2013
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2014
(Topological psychology may be described non-technically a...)
Topological psychology may be described non-technically as an attempt to comprehend human behavior in terms of the objects which are present, and of the relations among "events" taking place in a given environment ("life-span"). Lewin contends that it provides the basis for a truly scientific psychology. The Lewin's equation, B = ƒ(P, E), is a psychological equation of behavior developed by Kurt Lewin. It states that behavior is a function of the person in their environment. The equation is the psychologist's most well known formula in social psychology, of which Lewin was a modern pioneer. When first presented in Lewin's book "Principles of Topological Psychology," published in 1936, it contradicted most popular theories in that it gave importance to a person's momentary situation in understanding his or her behavior, rather than relying entirely on the past.
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2015
(Excerpt from Studies in Topological and Vector Psychology...)
Excerpt from Studies in Topological and Vector Psychology I Some psychologists are loath to make any concession to the ele mentary principles Of topological psychology for fear that they will be compelled to give up much that has become familiar and com forting. Often they have traded in the old car for a new model; but a new form of locomotion, a car for a horse or a plane for a car - that is another question. At first the good horse seems so much better than the sputtering car that the latter 's promise is overlaid with reactions of rejection and frustration. SO with new psycho logical tools: they are unconsciously resisted. But the test comes when there is important work to do, as there is today in psychology. One can onlv suggest that in the vigorous application of these new implements Of synthesis and analysis, by nonbelievers as well as believers, there will come about. A recognition Of their true worth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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2017
Kurt Lewin was born in Mogilno, Prussia (now Poland), on September 9, 1899 into a middle-class Jewish family. The family moved to Berlin in 1905.
Lewin studied at the Kaiserin Augusta Gymnasium from 1905 to 1908, where he received a classical humanistic education. Lewin enrolled at the University of Frieberg in 1909 to study medicine but transferred to the University of Munich to study biology. He eventually completed a doctoral degree at the University of Berlin in 1916.
Lewin volunteered for the German army in 1914 and was later injured in combat. In 1921, he began lecturing on philosophy and psychology at the Psychological Institute of the University of Berlin. His popularity with students and prolific writing drew the attention of Stanford University, and he was invited to be a visiting professor in 1930. Eventually, Kurt emigrated to the United States and took a teaching position at the University of Iowa, where he worked until 1944.
At lowa, Lewin and his associates conducted notable research on the effect of democratic, autocratic, and laissez-faire methods of leadership upon the other members of groups. Largely on the basis of controlled experiments with groups of children, he maintained that contrary to popular belief the democratic leader has no less power than the autocratic leader and that the characters and personalities of those who are led are rapidly and profoundly affected by a change in social atmosphere. In effecting such changes on human behavior patterns, Lewin argued, the democratic group that has long-range planning surpasses both the autocratic and laissez-faire groups in creative initiative and sociality. As a general rule, he contended, the more democratic the procedures are, the less resistance there is to change.
The central factors to be considered if one wishes to transform a nondemocratic group into a democratic one are ideology, the character of its members, and the locus of coercive physical power within the group. Although coercive physical power is thus not the only factor to be considered, Lewin warns against the naive belief in the goodness of human nature, which overlooks the fact that ideology itself cannot be changed by teaching and moral suasion alone. It can be done only by a change in the distribution of coercive physical power. But he also warns that democratic behavior cannot be learned by autocratic methods. The members of the group must at least feel that the procedures are "democratic".
Lewin was a Gestalt psychologist, and that approach materially influenced him when he originated field theory. Strictly speaking, field theory is an approach to the study of human behavior, not a theory with content which can be used for explanatory, predictive, or control purposes. His work in this area has been judged as the single most influential element in modern social psychology, leading to large amounts of research and opening new fields of inquiry. According to Lewin, field theory (which is a complex concept) is best characterized as a method, a method of analyzing causal relations and building scientific constructs. It is an approach which maintains that to represent and interpret faithfully the complexity of concrete reality requires continual crossing of the traditional boundaries of the social sciences, rather than a progressive narrowing of attention to a limited number of variables. The theory, which thus requires an interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of concrete reality, has also been termed dynamic theory and topological psychology. It holds that events are determined by forces acting on them in an immediate field rather than by forces acting at a distance. In the last analysis, it is a theory about theory building, or a metatheory.
While Lewin emphasized the importance of theory, he also believed that theories needed to have practical applications. He began applying his research to the war effort, working for the United States government. In 1946, he became a director of the Center for Group Dynamics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Kurt Lewin contributed to Gestalt psychology by expanding on gestalt theories and applying them to human behavior. Lewin developed a theory that emphasized the importance of individual personalities, interpersonal conflict, and situational variables. Lewin's Field Theory proposed that behavior is the result of the individual and the environment.
He was also one of the first psychologists to systematically test human behavior, influencing experimental psychology, social psychology, and personality psychology.
He was a prolific writer, publishing more than 80 articles and eight books on various psychology topics. Many of his unfinished papers were published by his colleagues after his sudden death at age 56.
Lewin established the Group Dynamics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Training Laboratories.
Lewin was ranked as the 18th most frequently cited psychologist in a 2002 review of some of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth century.
(Excerpt from Studies in Topological and Vector Psychology...)
2017(This Field Theory Classic by Kurt Lewin was originally pr...)
2011(Topological psychology may be described non-technically a...)
2015(Kurt Lewin is best known as the foremost proponent of "fi...)
1997(One of the most influential social scientists of the 20th...)
1999(This book is an early effort to establish the principles ...)
2013Kurt Lewin saw Zionism as a sociological necessity and believed that Jews need their own country in order to live normal lives. He spent time studying problems of Jewish maladjustment and self-acceptance as members of a minority group.
Quotations:
"There is nothing so practical as a good theory".
"Our behavior is purposeful; we live in a psychological reality or living space that includes not only those parts of our physical and social environment to us but also imagined states that do not currently exist.".
"Learning is more effective when it is an active rather than a passive process".
Lewin married Maria Landsberg in 1917, but they divorced in 1927. They had a daughter, Esther Agnes and a son, Fritz Reuven. In 1929, Lewin married Gertrud Weiss. They had a daughter, Miriam and a son, Daniel.
