WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/103468277 pw: launch
The Drive Toward Meaning
Heider & Simmel, 1944
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grCPqoFwp5k&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp8ebj_yRI4
Kuleshov Effect (Lev Kuleshov, 1899-1970)
Class 2 Kurt Lewin
“Nothing is as practical as a good theory”
“B = (P * S)”: Behavior is function of Person and Situation
1890-1947Father of Modern Social Psychology
Lewin BiographyTrained 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 moveResearch 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.
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”
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.
Lewin’s Attention to Every Day Events
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.
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
Goals and Tension SystemsGoals: People are goal-oriented; to understand a person’s behavior—
including perceptions and judgment—must know his/her goal.
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?
Goals interact with situations in defining “Life Space”
Goals and values: Who likes a rich, lush field? Who doesn’t?
Psychological Conflicts
Approach / Approach Approach / Avoidance Avoidance / Avoidance
DMV for 5 Hrs. / Denied VoteSee New Movie / See New PlayAsk for Raise / Get Turned Down
What emotions do these create?
Why these emotions arise?
How resolve these emotions?
Frustration, anxiety, tension
Mutually-opposed goals
“Leave the Field”Cognitive Dissonance
Approach / AvoidanceApproach / ApproachAvoidance / Avoidance
Zeigarnik EffectBluma 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?
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) mostproductive?
When leader is absent, which group(s) most productive?
Democratic and Authoritarian
Democratic
Leadership, Morale, and Time Perspective
Four score and seven years ago...
Now we are engaged in a great civil war...
dedicated to the great task remaining before us ...
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.
Lincoln Churchill JFK
wander and see what you come up with. Here are my marks:
Time Perspective and Mental IllnessEllenhorn, 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.
Past Present Future
PERSONAL TIMELINE
Today Tomorrow Yesterday Last week Last Month 3 Months ago
1 Year Ago
5 Years Ago
10 Years Ago
10 Years From Now
5 Years From Now
1 Year From Now
3 Months From Now
Next Month
Next Week
1. Place a “1” above the time designation where you focus the most, a “2” for second most, and “3” for third most.
2. Bracket the swath of time that best describes your mind-set , e.g., [1 YR AGO …. TOMORROW], [ LAST MONTH …… 5 YRS FROM NOW], ETC.
1 23
IVs: Optimism, Pessimism, Emotions, Age
In-Class Timeline Study Opt’sm Pes’sm Happy Angry Scared Sad Age
First Time Point
Second Time Point
Third Time Point
Ave. Time Point
Time-frame Width
Most Past Point
Most Future Point
.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
Lewin's Empirical HumanismSocial 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
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?
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
VIDEO: https://vimeo.com/103468277 pw: launch
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