Special Issue Foundations for Experimental Social Psychology: Requiem for Classic Social Psychology

Special Issue Foundations for Experimental Social Psychology: Requiem for Classic Social Psychology Robert D. Mather Savannah Brand Special Issue Editors University of Central Oklahoma The field of social psychology is relatively young, and has been touched by many different areas, including experimental psychology, sociology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. During the course of the field’s development, many perspectives have contributed to the work of individual researchers in exciting ways. However, most introductory social psychology textbooks give very little coverage to the stories behind the classic social psychologists. This is not an indictment of introductory social psychology textbooks. They serve their purpose and do so very well—to survey the research and theories in the field and to place it in a broader context of application. This issue is dedicated to providing a readable digest of information that may be of interest to our readers. Kurt Lewin earned the title of “Father of Experimental Social Psychology” by attempting to understand the connection between one’s self and their environment, along with looking at how a group of individuals think when together. Leon Festinger contributed important research with his theory of cognitive dissonance, which allows psychologists to understand how individuals can soothe themselves when they are dealing with an uncomfortable emotion and how individuals deal with difficult decision-making. Floyd Allport helped to move the psychology field away from mere speculation by insisting upon the use of objective methodology and experimentation, allowing the field to become more science based. And his brother, Gordon Allport, focused on making personality psychology its own sub-field, and had an influential impact on psychology, as a whole. Solomon Asch, who also examined attitudes along with the psychology of groups, researched groupthink and conformity, in depth. The inaccurate report of the Kitty Genovese murder sparked John Darley’s interest in understanding the bystander effect; that is, how individuals can ignore or minimize the help that others might need. Stanley Milgram’s studies showed us just how far individuals are willing to push their own limits when dealing with the requests of authority figures. Philip Zimbardo’s work also examined the relationship between authority figures in social situations with his Stanford Prison Experiment, which was ended early due to the extreme situations that occurred during the experiment. Robert Zajonc looked at how the presence of other individuals affects the behavior of others and influences our attitudes. These are just some of the basic contributions that each of the following psychologists have made to the field. In this issue, we look at the psychologists behind the major theories and foundations of psychology and beyond just the individual theories. We also take a look at the burgeoning field of forensic psychology, which more people have been expressing interest in than ever before, and take it a step further to examine the evolutionary aspects behind it. Send correspondence concerning this article or reprint requests to Robert D. Mather or Savannah Brand, Department of Psychology, University of Central Oklahoma, Box 85, Edmond, Oklahoma, 73034; e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. June 2012 ● Journal of Scientific Psychology. 12 Kurt Lewin: Life Overview and Social Forces Evan England Shari Chernauskas-Beecher University of Central Oklahoma Abstract Kurt Lewin founded extremely relevant research in social psychology, which broadened the nature of the field considerably. Field theory is one concept he developed in order to explain social behavior through the connection between perceptions of the self and the environment. Another theory, termed group dynamics, involves understanding the functions of group cognition through the study of the social perceptions of individuals within the group. He founded the change management model that was used to explain the different psychological aspects that manage an individual’s ability to change. In studying human behavior, he created an equation to represent behavior as the function of the person and their environment. His contribution to modern social psychology earned him the title of the “Father of Experimental Social Psychology.” Keywords: Kurt Lewin, field theory, group cognition The field of social psychology has changed and evolved considerably over the years due to the contributions of Kurt Lewin. He created the field of experimental social psychology and thus earned the title of the Father of Social Psychology (Coghlan & Brannick, 2003). Various situations that occurred throughout Lewin’s life were the inspiration for most of his research. He used personal life experiences to form most of the theories for which he is known. In doing so, Lewin used experimental, hands on, field study approach to social psychology that focused on mathematics and quantum physics. The work of Kurt Lewin is the foundation for many theoretical constructs used today and found implemented in both social and industrial/organizational psychological realms. Biography Childhood and schooling Kurt Lewin was born to Jewish parents in the village of Moglino, the Prussian province of Posen (now currently a part of Poland) on September 9, 1890 (Daniels, 2003). He had four siblings of which he was the second oldest. During his early childhood he lived above a general store that his father owned. His parents also owned a farm that was located outside of the town in which he lived. His time at the farm helped him to gain a great appreciation of nature, which helped to lead him toward his future career (Daniels, 2003). At the age of 15, his family moved to Berlin, Germany where he attended the Gymnasium, somewhat like an advanced placement school of today (Lewin, 2008). During his time there, he gained an interest in Greek philosophy, which remained one of his passions for the remainder of his life. Lewin enrolled at the University of Frieberg in 1909 where he first studied medicine in order to become a country medical doctor (Daniels, 2003). Later, he transferred to the University of Munich where he chose to study biology. It was during this time that his interest in philosophy increased to the point that he became interested in earning a doctorate in the subject. Eventually, with advice from one of his professors, he went on to the University of Berlin where he wanted to learn the theories of science (Daniels, 2003). It was at this university that he earned his Ph.D. in 1914 (Lewin, 2008; Lewin, 1998). After earning his Ph.D., he became a professor despite the trend of anti- Semitism that was pervading most German universities during that time. He and his students would eventually become involved with the young socialist movement at the time and, as a result, were able to organize a successful education program which dealt with the potential of socialism and democracy in German society (Daniels, 2003). It was also during this time that he became influenced by what was, at the time, a popular field of psychology: Gestalt psychology. June 2012 ● Journal of Scientific Psychology. 13 Pre-U.S. move During World War I, Lewin served in an artillery unit in France and Russia for two years. His time in the Kaiser’s army ended when he was injured during combat. One year later, in 1917, he wrote what is considered to be an extremely important article called The Landscape of War (Daniels, 2003). This article dealt with perceptions of the battlefield in relation to behavior. He considered behavior to be related to connections between physical and psychological space. The article would be the first step towards what would eventually become his field theory (Daniels, 2003). His theory relating to life-space also has its origins in the article, due to the considerations of different spaces (fields), which he related in some degree to behavior. While serving in the military, he married Maria Landsberg and had two children named Esther (girl) and Reuven (boy) (Daniels, 2003; Lewin, 1998). This was a time when he wrote many different journal articles focusing on his ideas related to human behavior. At the University of Berlin Psychology Institute in 1917 he went on to do various lectures and even seminars in both psychology and philosophy (Daniels, 2003). Lewin’s marriage with Maria ended with divorce after a short ten years in 1927 and with their two children plagued with schizophrenia for years. In 1929, Lewin married his second wife Gertrud Weiss and eventually had two children, Daniel (boy, 1931) and Miriam (girl, 1933) (Lewin, 1998). Also that year he took his first trip to America to attend a meeting of the International Congress of Psychologists that took place at Yale University. It was not long before the meeting that his research was translated into English for the first time (Daniels, 2003). One year later, Lewin was invited to be a visiting professor at Stanford University (Cherry, n.d.). This invitation was the result of Edwin Boring, the Director of the Psychological Laboratory at Harvard University, recommending Lewin after hearing about him during a meeting that took place at Yale (Daniels, 2003). During his California trip, Lewin chose to stop in New York to be a guest of the Colombia University Faculty Club. It was here that he met a young Gardner Murphy who would be greatly influenced by Lewin’s research. After this stop in New York, Lewin finally made it to California and Stanford University. After his six-month term at Stanford, the Lewin family chose to return to Germany in order for him to continue his research. He made it as far as Japan where he briefly visited the University of Japan to meet with his colleagues (Daniels, 2003). Hearing that Hitler had occupied and took over Europe, Lewin’s family decided to stay in New England, while Lewin himself traveled back to Germany.

Load more