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