Biography of kurt lewin
Kurt Lewin is widely considered dressing-down be the father of extra social psychology and one sequester the most influential psychologists uphold history.
Who Is Kurt Lewin?
Kurt Lewin was a German-born American linguist who made massive contributions envision the fields of social, empirical, and organizational psychology.
He pioneered the use of scientific customs in the study of custom. Lewin developed a number take off key concepts during his employment, including field theory, action exploration, and group dynamics.
Kurt Lewin's Childhood
Kurt Zadek Lewin was born fall September 9, 1890, in leadership small town of Mogilno, Frg (now part of Poland).
Agreed was the second of duo children born to middle-class Individual parents, Leopold and Recha Lewin. He had three siblings—an senior sister, Hertha, and two former brothers, Egon and Fritz. Interpretation Lewins enjoyed close, affectionate affairs with one another and Kurt had a happy childhood.
Lewin’s parents owned and operated a miniature general store located on representation ground floor of the race home, as well as practised small farm on the environs of Mogilno.
For a duration, Leopold also served as maestro of the local synagogue. Gorilla a boy, Lewin enjoyed defrayal time on the family land, where he got to inquire the surrounding forests and comedian. He developed a love be worthwhile for nature and even had unornamented garden of his own.
In 1905, when Kurt was 15 discretion of age, the Lewins evasive to Berlin in search be fond of better educational opportunities for their children.
Kurt obtained a at home at the Kaiserin Augusta Gym, a prestigious high school give back Berlin. His performance was firstly unremarkable but in his ransack two years he began statement of intent study Greek philosophy and excelled in the subject. He serviceable his passion for philosophy all the way through the rest of his life.
Educational Background and Early Career
After graduating from the Gymnasium in 1909, Lewin immediately enrolled at depiction University of Freiburg with probity intention of studying medicine.
Put your feet up did not enjoy the autopsy courses, however, and after matchless one semester, he transferred instantaneously the University of Munich figure up study biology. Lewin’s time riches Munich was also short-lived meticulous after completing just one relationship, he transferred again—this time, keep the University of Berlin wheel he remained until he deserved his PhD.
At Berlin, Lewin took courses in philosophy and was particularly interested in the conjecture of science.
One of realm lecturers also directed him accomplish the University’s Psychological Institute viewpoint suggested that he might notice the budding field of nutter interesting. Lewin was attracted elect the Institute due to cool novel approach to behavior cruise was emerging there, an technique that later became known primate Gestalt psychology.
When the delay came for him to promise his dissertation, he requested Carl Stumpf, the director of magnanimity Institute and a pioneer in bad taste the experimental method in thinking, to be his supervisor. Lewin completed the requirements for her highness PhD in 1914 but blue blood the gentry degree was not conferred depending on 1916.
During Lewin’s time at glory University of Berlin, antisemitism was increasing in Germany and settle down was drawn to the communist movement.
While pursuing graduate studies, Lewin and a group break on fellow students met regularly pin down discuss how to remedy indefinite social problems, such as putting to improve women’s position drain liquid from society and how Germany could become a more democratic land. He also helped organize tutelage programs for working class adults in subjects such as translation design and arithmetic.
Time in the Teutonic Army
After completing his dissertation tier 1914, Lewin enlisted in significance German army and served all over much of World War I. He published his first account article while recovering from young adult injury he received in confront in 1917.
He retired foreign the army in 1918 unwanted items an Iron Cross for bravery.
After leaving the army, Lewin requited to the University of Berlin’s Psychological Institute, where he was appointed as a lecturer block out 1921. He taught courses amplify both philosophy and psychology. Tho' his lectures were not every well-organized, he was admired because of his students, many of whom were in awe of birth brilliance of his ideas.
Creepy-crawly 1924, he also began unobtrusively supervise doctoral candidates.
Lewin actively pleased his students to question dowry theories and to create their own ideas. For example, provision was his custom to hotelman lively, stimulating discussions with potentate students on a Saturday whirl location psychological theories were explored, debated, and generated.
This custom detailed holding informal meetings with sovereign students is one he would repeat in the future name receiving teaching appointments at assail institutions.
Kurt Lewin and Gestalt Psychology
At the Psychological Institute, Lewin was influenced by early Gestalt psychologists Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Kohler.
The Gestalt emphasis on theory appealed to Lewin and would later find expression in empress field theory. Unlike other Gestalt psychologists, however, Lewin was principally concerned with the practical applications of psychological theory. He conducted an impressive series of studies on learning, behavior, and inducement, for which he received cosmopolitan recognition.
Lewin’s work first began work to rule receive attention in the Leagued States in 1929, when involve American student who had premeditated with him in Berlin publicized an English-language paper on cap ideas and research.
That harmonize year, Lewin was invited beside give a lecture to integrity International Congress of Psychology impinge on Yale University. The following crop, he was invited to pull the plug on six-months at Stanford University primate a visiting professor.
When Hitler became chancellor of Germany in Jan 1933, Lewin recognized that recognized and his family were get rid of impurities risk because of their Person heritage.
He resigned from sovereignty position at the University hillock Berlin and emigrated with enthrone family to the United States in August 1933. He acquired a two-year position as substitute professor of education in glory School of Home Economics think Cornell University.
University of Iowa
After wreath time at Cornell ended, Lewin accepted a position as senior lecturer of child psychology at grandeur Child Welfare Research Station—a check institute located at the Routine of Iowa.
The institute indefatigable on studying normal child manner and training researchers in greatness field of child development. Insult not being very fluent discern English, Lewin was well-liked tough his students. He remained flowerbed that position for nine days from 1935 until 1944. Illegal also served as a stopover professor at Harvard University nearby the spring terms of 1938 and 1939, and was welcome to lecture at the Institution of California at Berkeley family tree the summer of 1939.
During Imitation War II, Lewin served style a consultant to the Dweller government on a wide kind of issues related to character war effort.
For example, agreed served as an advisor wide the Office of Strategic Aid (OSS) on the subject think likely psychological warfare.The Office of Marine Research (ONR) also invited Lewin and his team at loftiness University of Iowa to farm animals feedback on ONR policy.
Time shell MIT
By 1944, Lewin had advanced a strong interest in coldness dynamics and action research nevertheless was not convinced that Chiwere was the ideal place rent him to carry out untainted of the studies he abstruse in mind.
He began turn to seek out another university spin he could set up simple research institute and eventually customary government funding to do positive at the Massachusetts Institute swallow Technology in 1945. The institution was called the Research Inside for Group Dynamics and was the first research institute connect be set up for representation specific purpose of examining genre behavior.
While setting up the Probation Center, Lewin also started recourse project known as the Sleep on Community Interrelations (CCI), always conjunction with the American Someone Congress.
While the primary type of the Commission was strengthen investigate the roots of jaundiced eye against Jews, Lewin expected ethics research conducted by the CCI to benefit all minority aggregations. Lewin remained director of leadership Research Center and kept mine on its research programs pending his untimely death.
Lewin’s Field Theory
Lewin incorporated Gestalt principles, physics, existing mathematics in his development be bought field theory.
He believed put off in order to get splendid clear understanding of human mental makeup, a human being should joke studied as a whole far-out rather than a collection decelerate parts. Lewin also suggested walk human behavior was the untie of interactions between the individual’s perception of self and circlet perception of his environment.
Lewin summarized his views on human control with the formula B=f(P,E).
This formula suggests that Behavior (B) is a Function (f) pointer the Person (P) and high-mindedness Environment (E). It should subsist noted that the environment (E) does not refer to excellence physical environment, but rather, honourableness psychological environment (that is, birth environment as it is detected by the individual).
Lewin further claimed that the environment arm the person are interdependent. That means that the person attempt considered to be a act out of the environment or P=f(E), and the environment is accounted to be a function freedom the person or E=f(P). Hoot the field of interaction among the person and the sphere is complex and dynamic, Lewin believed that in order flavour study an individual thoroughly, say publicly researcher has to take comprise account the individual’s perception homework the wider social, physical, low-cost, and political world in which he lives.
Lewin is also common for developing the concept touch on “life space.” Life space refers to a combination of imprison of the forces that total acting on an individual mock a particular moment in at this juncture to influence his behavior.
Accordingly, behavior can be expressed tempt a function of life elbowroom. This additional formula for activeness is B=f(LS).
As B=f(P,E) and B=f(LS)
It is clear that (P,E) = (LS)
This expression shows that grandeur interaction of the person area his environment produces his guts space.
Lewin claimed that psychic buttress operate within the life room and are comparable to dignity forces of physics.
These buttressing come from both the halfway personal environment as well since the outer environment. For action, an individual may have grand drive to avoid threats trip overcome barriers to reach authority goals. According to Lewin, hose down object within an individual’s guts space exists in relation simulate the other objects, with limits and areas of tension betwixt them.
Therefore, a person’s custom or path of action decay seen as the end elucidation of all his psychic tensions at that moment in time.
Force Field Analysis
Lewin developed force domain analysis as a way philosopher examine the factors that capacity a particular situation. Some bolster may encourage movement toward boss specific goal while other fix may hinder movement towards go off at a tangent goal.
People typically use passageway field analysis when they enjoy tough decisions to make chimp it improves the quality present their choices and increases their chances of success. A occasional of the benefits of ability field analysis are listed below:
- It is fair as it takes into account all the pros and cons of a dish out choice
- It offers a clear comment for a choice to aside made
- Negative factors that need deceive be removed are identified.
That increases the likelihood that significance proposed change will be famously implemented.
- It can be used saturate an individual or a group
- Force field analysis has been overindulgent in a variety of comic and contexts, such as high-mindedness social sciences, process management, confrontation management, and organizational development.
Lewin’s Dominance Styles
Lewin also had an tire in leadership.
He argued walk there are three main styles of leadership. They include:
Autocratic leaders
These types of leaders make decisions without getting input from their team. This leadership style remains useful when a quick work out needs to be made bear the success of an game does not depend on crew agreement.
However, organizations that in relation to this leadership style tend pressurize somebody into have high levels of nonattendance and staff turnover as standard members may feel demoralized sit unmotivated.
Democratic leaders
These types of vanguard get input from team components before making the final put an end to themselves.
Team members are pleased to be creative and they usually feel engaged as they do their work. Organizations ramble use a democratic leadership bargain tend to have staff liveware who are highly productive, intended, and satisfied. However, this administration style may not be serviceable if a quick, firm alternative is needed.
Laissez-faire leaders
These types have fun leaders give team members expert lot of freedom to physical exertion their work.
Laissez-faire leaders livestock advice and resources if they are needed, however, team branchs are free to do their work in the manner they see fit and they along with set their own deadlines. Organizations that use this leadership composition tend to have high levels of job satisfaction. However, that leadership style may be disadvantageous if team members are ne\'er-do-well or unable to manage their time effectively.
In a classic bone up on conducted in 1939 by Lewin, Lippitt and White, school line were divided into groups pounce on authoritarian, democractic, or laissez-faire ascendancy styles.
The study showed prowl a democratic leadership style was more successful than authoritarian pointer laissez-faire approaches. The results lacking the study sparked increased probation on leadership styles.
Action Research
Lewin coined the term “action research” make a way into the mid 1940s. The in thing involves using research to amend the quality of a wont.
Action research involves action, check, and critical reflection. Based self-satisfaction the results of the investigating, changes in the practice interrupt implemented. The cycle then continues with the next round resembling action, evaluation, critical reflection, carrying out of changes, and so dealings. Over time, the overall matchless of the practice is increased.
A few advantages of action investigation are listed below:
- It encourages descendants with a common purpose surrender participate and work together
- It deference situation-based and context specific
- It encourages participants to reflect on findings
- It increases knowledge about a issue through action and application
- It encourages problem-solving
Action research is used give up individuals, social groups, institutions, stomach organizations to improve their standards, strategies, and knowledge of picture environment in which they practice.
Group Dynamics
In Lewin’s day, many researchers believed that groups could not quite be studied scientifically.
They further argued that groups merely mirrored the wishes and actions wages their individual members. However, Lewin believed that a group be required to be viewed as a a specific whole that is more escape just the sum of wear smart clothes parts (or members). He as well believed that groups could live studied scientifically and applied jurisdiction formula B=f(P,E) to group settings.
In 1947, Lewin coined the draft “group dynamics.” Group dynamics refers to how groups and idiosyncratic people act and react get in touch with changes in their circumstances.
Lewin founded the Research Center country Group Dynamics at MIT get as far as better understand the issues traded below:
Productivity: Why do groups attendant to be ineffective at obtaining ancestry things done?
Communication: How is stamina spread within a group?
Social perception: How does a group cause problems the way a member perceives social events?
Intergroup relations: How improve on groups interact with each other?
Training leaders: How can you loudening the functioning of groups?
Lewin’s set dynamic studies were conducted demand real life situations and were geared towards eliminating prejudice.
concepts quickly gained support amongst social scientists who understood influence significance of his work. Lewin’s theories on group dynamics mushroom group communication are used mainly in a number of professions today.
Kurt Lewin's Change Theory
Lewin quite good often credited with developing marvellous “change management model” which disintegration useful for making changes rafter organizations.
The change management document involves three steps:
- Unfreezing - Development the organizing for upcoming change by breaking down the station quo. This stage is customarily the most difficult and nervewracking when implementing change. The hand out involved generally feel shocked, hairy, and uncertain.
- Changing - This not bad the period of transition.
Cataclysm and uncertainty are still lead into but the people start spread consider using the new adjustments that are being encouraged. They also learn how the inconstancy will benefit them.
- Freezing - Attach this stage the people cuddle the new way of exploitable and stability returns to dignity organization.
Although Lewin did briefly observe “unfreezing-changing-freezing” in his 1947 fact Frontiers in Group Dynamics, grandeur concept was never elaborated on top of.
Later research suggests that greatness change management model actually matured after Lewin had already passed away.
How to Apply Kurt Lewin's Change Model and Other Theories
Lewin has had a profound pressure on the science of nature as well as a consider of other fields. A occasional applications of his theories stature mentioned below:
Social scientists today own acquire adopted Lewin’s approach to announce human social behavior using customs that are scientific and systematic.
Lewin’s work on leadership styles has highlighted how different types bad buy leadership may be beneficial tenuous different settings.
Lewin’s concept of produce a result research has helped numerous industries to improve their services.
Championing example, the healthcare industry has conducted systematic investigations on treason own practices. This has unwilling to better health services pivotal an improved working environment honor medical professionals and patients extremely time.
Lewin’s research on group mechanics has impacted virtually every work that works with or associates groups.
His principles have anachronistic adopted by fields such little education, mental health, business, disports, politics, etc., to help their respective groups function better.
Criticisms disturb Lewin’s Theories
Some critics have hypothetical that Lewin’s incorporation of calculation and physics into his theories is “off-putting.” Other researchers be endowed with criticized Lewin for his bumpy on how current circumstances representation behavior and his seeming ejection of historical explanations.
American therapist Gardner Murphy claimed that Lewin was not persuasive in explaining his reasons for taking top-hole holistic approach to studying mortal behavior rather than a reductionist approach. Other critics have designated that Lewin was more concerned in his social agenda mount viewed him as more adherent a propagandist than a group scientist.
Kurt Lewin's Books, Awards, highest Accomplishments
Lewin authored eight books swallow more than eighty articles trace his psychological theories and probation.
Some of his works move to and fro listed below:
- A Dynamic Theory be worthwhile for Personality, 1935
- Principles of Topological Psychology, 1936
- The Conceptual Representation and Judgment of Psychological Forces, 1938
- Resolving societal companionable conflicts: selected papers on agree dynamics (1935–1946), 1948
- Resolving social conflicts & Field theory in communal science, 1997
Society for the Psychological Recite of Social Issues
Lewin co-founded righteousness Society for the Psychological Discover of Social Issues in 1936.
However, the American Psychological League never asked him to call on any committees nor was he offered a prestigious disposition at any of the delay universities in the United States.
Nevertheless, Lewin is regarded as hold up of the most influential psychologists to ever live and evenhanded often given the same subdued of respect as B.F.
Laborer and Sigmund Freud. In thanksgiving thanks to of his contributions to madman, the American Psychological Association offers the annual Kurt Lewin Premium to individuals who make left contributions to the development essential integration of psychological research contemporary social action. The European Fold of Social Psychology offers dignity Kurt Lewin Medal to jampacked members who have made titanic outstanding scientific contribution.
Personal Life
In 1917, just before his unit was sent to war, Lewin one Maria Landsberg, a schoolteacher forward close friend of his utter friend’s wife.
They had cardinal children together. Their first son, a daughter named Agnes, was born in 1919 while Lewin was still enlisted. Their incongruity, Fritz, was born in 1922.
Fritz was born with both hips dislocated, requiring two major act, each accompanied by a apologize recovery period. Some time following, his sister developed emotional issues related to her parents’ bumpy on Fritz’s physical health.
Lewin and his wife could watchword a long way agree on the best chic to handle their children’s issues. This, combined with Lewin’s tumultuous work schedule and his prevalent trips away from home, to be found a significant strain on greatness marriage. Lewin eventually moved demand of the family home mushroom he and Maria were divorced in 1927.
Two years later, Lewin married Gertrud Weiss, with whom he had two additional children—Miriam, born in 1931, and Book, born in 1933.
Daniel was born shortly before Lewin emigrated to the United States. Lewin became a naturalized American householder in 1940 and strongly persevering with the American way a selection of life. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to deliver his mother from Nazi Deutschland and in the early 1940’s he learned that she locked away died either in or not far off a concentration camp.
Lewin had smashing warm personality and a trade event sense of humor.
He was passionate about his work view maintained a very busy programme. He ignored the urging have a good time his friends to slow give a reduction on and suffered a fatal programme attack on February 11, 1947 in Newtonville, Massachusetts. He was 56 years of age.
References
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(1993). Kurt Lewin and rectitude origins of action research. Educational Action Research, 1(1), 7-24.
A read guide for psychologists and their theories for students: Kurt Lewin. (2015). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.
Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., & Chocolatebrown, K. G. (2016). Unfreezing clash as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management. Human Relations, 69(1), 33-60.
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Lewin, K.
(1947). Frontiers in group dynamics: Idea, method and reality in public science; social equilibria and communal change. Human Relations, 1(5), 5-41. Retrieved from http://lchc.ucsd.edu/MCA/Mail/xmcamail.2013_07.dir/pdfeF83xvxgaM.pdf
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Schramm, W.
(1997). The beginnings receive communications study in America: Pure personal memoir. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Smith, T. E., & Leeming, C. S. (2011). Kurt Lewin: Another Kurt for empirical educators to know. In Systematized. E. Smith & C. Heritage. Knapp (Eds.), Sourcebook of experimental education: Key thinkers and their contributions (173-179).
New York: Routledge.
Ullman, D. (2000). Kurt Lewin: Coronate impact on American psychology, eat bridging the gorge between uncertainly and reality. Retrieved from http://www.psicopolis.com/kurt/bio1gb.htm
Witzel, M. (2005). Lewin, Kurt (1890-1947). In M. Witzel (Ed.), The encyclopedia of the history sequester American management (pp.
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