WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?
VIDEO: https://
vimeo.com/103468277
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The Drive Toward Meaning
Kuleshov Effect
(Lev Kuleshov, 1899-1970)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr
CPqoFwp5k&feature=related
Heider & Simmel, 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
wp8ebj_yRI4
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
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.
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”
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.
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 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 a 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?
Psychological Conflicts
Approach / Approach
Approach / Avoidance Avoidance / Avoidance
Ask for Raise / Get Turned Down
See New Movie / See New Play
DMV for 5 Hrs. / Denied Vote
Approach / Avoidance
Approach / Approach
Avoidance / Avoidance
What emotions do these create?
Frustration, anxiety, tension
Why these emotions arise?
Mutually-opposed goals
How resolve these emotions?
“Leave the Field”
Cognitive Dissonance
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?
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
Leadership, Morale, and Time Perspective
Lincoln
Churchill
Four score and seven
years ago...
Now this is not the
end. It is not even the
beginning of the end.
But it is, perhaps, the
end of the beginning.
Now we are engaged
in a great civil war...
dedicated to the great
task remaining before
us ...
JFK
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.
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.
wander and see what you come up with. Here are my marks:
Past
Present
Future
PERSONAL TIMELINE
3
10 Years
Ago
5 Years
Ago
1 Year
Ago
3 Months
ago
Last Month Last week
1
Yesterday
Today
Tomorrow Next Week
2
Next
Month
3 Months
From
Now
5 Years
1 Year
From Now From Now
10 Years
From Now
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.
IVs: Optimism, Pessimism, Emotions, Age
In-Class Timeline Study
Opt’sm Pes’sm
Happy
Angry
Scared
Sad
Age
First Time Point
.39
-.32
.57*
.33
.11
-.01
-.51*
Second Time Point
.48+
-.07
.64*
.15
.06
.19
-.26
Third Time Point
.01
-.18
.42+
.15
.06
.19
-.26
Ave. Time Point
.01
-.18
.42+
.04
-.16
.21
-.44+
Time-frame Width
.35
-.25
.72**
.21
-.01
.19
-.54*
-.28
.37
.16
.10
-.09
.25
-.22
.37
-.09
.83**
.09
-.02
-.03
-.42
Most Past Point
Most Future Point
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
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