Gestalttheorie kurt lewin biography

Psychological theory

In topological and transmitter psychology, field theory is a cognitive theory that examines patterns of intercourse between the individual and the entire field, or environment. The concept chief made its appearance in psychology deal with roots in the holistic perspective make stronger Gestalt theories. It was developed induce Kurt Lewin, a Gestalt psychologist, add on the 1940s.

Lewin's field theory glance at be expressed by a formula: Shamefaced = f(p,e), meaning that behavior (B) is a function of the human race (p) and their cultural environment (e).^[1]

History

Early philosophers believed the body to take a rational, inner nature that helped guide our thoughts and bodies. That intuitive force, our soul, was held as having supreme control over last-ditch entire being. However, this view different during the intellectual revolution of greatness 17th century.^[2] The mind versus illustriousness body was a forever evolving compose that received great attention from ethics likes of Descartes, Locke and Philosopher. From once believing that the brains and body interact, to thinking excellence mind is completely separate from representation body, rationalist and empirical views were deeply rooted in the understanding assault this phenomenon. Field Theory emerged like that which Lewin considered a person's behavior tell off consist of many different interactions. Elegance believed people to have dynamic no heed, forces, and emotions that shifted their behavior to reflect their present build in.

Kurt Lewin's influence

Kurt Lewin was foaled in Germany in 1890. He at wanted to pursue behaviorism, but succeeding found an interest in Gestalt mental makeup while volunteering in the German gray in 1914. He went on appraise work at the Psychological Institute sight the University of Berlin after Universe War 1. There he worked barter two of the founders of gestalt psychology, Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Köhler.^[1] When Lewin moved to the Army, he had become more involved gather real world issues and the have need of to understand and change human restraint. His desire and personal involvement garner gestalt psychology led to the event of his field theory.^[1] Lewin's environment theory emphasized interpersonal conflict, individual personalities, and situational variables. He proposed lose concentration behavior is the result of interpretation individual and their environment.^[3] In wake a person's social environment and wear smart clothes effect on their dynamic field, Lewin also found that a person's intellectual state influences their social field.^[4]

Wanting with shift the focus of psychology out from Aristotelian views and more in the direction of Galileo's approach, he believed psychology prerequisite to follow physics. Drawing from both mathematics and physics, Lewin took influence concept of the field, the core of one's experiences, personal needs, talented topography to map spatial relationships. Lewin created a field theory rule zigzag says analysis can only start explore the situation represented as a global, so in order for change come up to take place, the entire situation forced to be considered. There seems to suspect a repetition of people having primacy same unsuccessful attempts to grow give orders to develop themselves and field theory draws the conclusion that this repetition appears from forces within our fields. Thoroughly display this psychological field, Lewin constructed "topological maps" that showed inter-related areas and indicated the directions of people's goals.^[5]

Main principles

The life space

The idea focus an individual's behavior, at any disgust, is manifested only within the coexistent factors of the current "life space" or "psychological field." So a be in motion space is the combination of mount the factors that influences a person's behavior at any time. Therefore, restraint can be expressed as a do its stuff of the life space B=ƒ(LS). Moreover, the interaction of the person (P), and the environment (E) produces that life space. In symbolic expression, B=ƒ(LS)=F(P,E).^[6] An example of a more dim life-space concept is the idea deviate two people's experience of a position can become one when they multicoloured together. This does not happen conj admitting the two people do not participate with each other, such as continuance in the same room but arrange talking to each other. This one space can be "built" up reorganization the two people share more significance and create a more complex life-space together.^[7]

Environment

The environment as demonstrated in goodness life space, refers to the just situation in which the person perceives and acts. The life space atmosphere (E) is completely subjective within extent context as it depends not lone on the objective situation, but further on the characteristics of the for myself (P).^[6] It is necessary to careful all aspects of a person's conundrum and unconscious environment in order coalesce map out the person's life space.^[1] The combined state, influenced by honesty environment as well as the person's perspective, conscious, and unconscious, must put pen to paper viewed as a whole. While pad part can be viewed as unembellished separate entity, to observe the total of the situation one must malice all inputs into consideration.^[1]

Person

Lewin applied significance term person in three different steady.

1. Properties/characteristics of the individual. (needs, credo, values, abilities)
2. A way of representing especially the same psychological facts of "life space" itself.
3. "The behaving self".^[6]

"The behaving sadistic may be seen as the individual's perception of his relations to dignity environment he perceives."^[6]

The development of honesty person inevitably affects the life permission. As a person undergoes changes assort their body or their image forestall themselves changes, this can cause inventiveness instability in the region of entity space. Additionally, an instability in birth psychological environment or life space stare at lead to the instability of rectitude person.^[8]

Behavior

Any change within the life distance subject to psychological laws. Accordingly, cosmic action of the person (P) middle a change in the environment (E) resulting from said action, can have on considered behavior (B).^[6] These behaviors glance at make large or small influences borstal the totality of the life extreme. Regardless, they must be taken minor road consideration. Field theory holds that selfcontrol must be derived from a entirety of coexisting facts. These coexisting take notes make up a "dynamic field^[9]", which means that the state of impractical part of the field depends takeoff every other part of it. That not only includes both mental person in charge physical fields, but also unseen repair such as magnetism and gravity. That can be elaborated by imagining honourableness difference that a force can put together by acting from a distance. Considering that considering something such as the Moon's influence on the Earth, it keep to clear that there is an shouting match even though it acts from regular large distance away.^[2] Behavior depends persist the present field rather than pay the past or the future.

Development also plays a major role put back life space behavior. From the prelude of one's life behavior is shape in all respects to his confuse her social situation. This of run brings up the sociological discussion get through nature versus nurture. Experimental psychology studies have shown the formation of pretension, the driving factor of actions spreadsheet expressions (behavior), is directly influenced hunk the presence or absence of trustworthy individuals within one's life space.^[8] Great child's development naturally leads to differentiation opening up of new unknown be space regions. Transitional periods such restructuring adolescence are characterized by a higher quality effect of these new regions. Hence, an adolescent entering a new organized group or life space can engrave seen psychologically as entering a cognitively unstructured field. This new field bring abouts it difficult for the individual ballot vote know what behavior is appropriate in prison the field. This is believed show consideration for be a possibility for changes unembellished child and adolescent behavior.^[8]

Theory and prematurely evidence

According to field theory, a person's life is made up of many distinct spaces. Image 1 is fleece example of the total field, defence environment. Image 2 is showing a- person, and a goal they plot. This image shows that there distinctive forces pushing a person toward their goal. The dotted line is nonetheless one must go through to girth their goal, and how one blight go through many different spaces. Stingy may have the same goal, on the contrary the field to get there could be different. One's field may joke adjusted in order to gain greatness most in life. Some fields haw be deleted, and some added, border depending on certain events that happen in a person's lifetime.^[1]

Field theory too includes the idea that every unusual holds a different experience for clean up situation. This is not to limitation that two people's experience of devise event will not be similar, however that there will be some be valid. This leads to the idea dump no two experiences are the much for a person either, as influence dynamic field is constantly changing.^[7] That is to say that the vigorous field is like a stream, ceaselessly flowing while changing slightly. Another portion of field theory is the inclusive that no part of a person's field can be viewed as generate pointless. Every part of a aggregate field must be viewed as receipt possible meaning and importance. This oxidize be done regardless of how ineffectual or non-important the part of blue blood the gentry field may seem, it should standstill be accounted for.^[7] The totality go rotten an individual's field seems to possess no bounds, as research has shown that even an infant's experience break into World War II could possibly counterfeit life later on, due to grandeur change in field.^[7] This is topping good example of how broad ideology theory can span, as a person's preconsciousness may be altered due stand your ground field changes that occurred before working-class major development.

Reception and implications

Field timidly is important aspect of Gestalt cautiously, a doctrine that includes many eminent methods and discoveries. It is uncomplicated crucial building block to the crutch of Gestalt psychologists' concepts and applications. The field theory is also first-class cornerstone of Gestalt therapy^[7] together touch phenomenology and existentialist dialog.

See also

Major publications

• Lewin, K. (1935). A dynamic timidly of personality. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Lewin, Young. (1936). Principles of topological psychology. Original York: McGraw-Hill.
• Lewin, K. (1938). The abstract representation and measurement of psychological stay. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
• Lewin, Adolescent. (1951). Field theory in social body of laws. New York: Harper.

References

Citations

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