The Social Psychologists
The contribution of Kurt Lewin to the field of Social behavior is widely recognized. His contributions are in one way or the other an expansion of the Gestalt psychology.
He also happens to be the one of the pioneer sociologists that linked test human behavior that is systematic, affecting social psychology, experimental and personality. He has published more than 50 articles and eight books on psychology and psychology related l topics. He has utilized scientific approach and experimentation in looking at social behavior which earned him the defunct position of the father of modern social psychology.Lewin being allied to the Gestalt psychologists was influenced by the strongest conviction of the importance given to the theories and its application in the laboratories. This conviction is what continually refined its theories with well brought up evidence from the laboratory experiments.
He goes ahead to bring out great contributions that involve the development of group dynamics, democracy and action research. Even with the catalytic influence, social psychology has for quite some time gained prominence in study and research in a few of the metropolitan universities and other higher institutions of learning (Hunt, 2005).The fact that elsewhere behaviorism was still the king and those who rooted for it found Social psychology to be to much concerned with mental processes, this trend is changing slowly. Case in point for example is World War II. During this war the need for well trained and coordinated military. This need gave rise to the social psychological study of the morale of the soldiers and behavior even in the aftermath of the war.
The post war period was characterized by a number of social problems that brought a surge in the young discipline. Among the emerging trends include the mobility of the American population and many interpersonal and social problems that the war created. There was the search for advanced and more scientific based sales techniques with the rapid worldwide business expansion. Social scientists were busy comprehending the Nazi mass killings and on a broader view the sources and the control of the aggression. Senator McCarthy’s rise stimulated interest in the phenomena that is conforming to the given conditions through necessary adjustments.
The international negotiations made psychologists to put their attention more to group dynamics. The world is changing and routing for definite analysis of given situations as concerns human behavior. As such without inclusion of scientific aspects to study of human behavior leads to some cast doubt of the findings. The inclusion of laboratory research in the psychology and social science field has brought in a more advanced approach to dealing with the various situations that require in depth research. The evidence obtained from the laboratory gives the findings of the researches a more water proof bargain of their arguments (Dovidio, 2006). Application CaseThe arguments brought out by Kurt Lewin are very relevant to today’s life experience.
The problems and challenges we face make us to think further in bid to solving these challenges. As such necessity makes us to do what we would have not done were it not for the push factors.For instance I am not used to carrying umbrellas whenever I’m out in the streets but the current short rains which have been getting me off guard have forced me to get to walking around with one. The economic crunch led to inflation that forced my budget demand to get up. In the responsive spirit, I had to devise a mechanism of making more cash hence the setting up of my vending business. The business won’t be existing as at now if it were not for the crunch.
