Kurt Lewin The Father of Social Psychology Kurt

Kurt Lewin “The Father of Social Psychology”

Kurt Lewin contributed to Nursing Theory with his development of the Change Theory. He theorized a threestage model of change that is known as “unfreezing-change-refreeze” model that requires prior learning to be rejected and replaced. This theory states behavior is: “a dynamic balance of forces working in opposing directions” � (Kurt Lewin's Change Theory, 2011)

Kurt Lewin � Born September 9 th, 1890 in Germany � Immigrated to the United States in August of 1933 � Became a naturalized citizen of 1940 � Obtained his Ph. D. from the University of Berlin � Taught at multiple universities including Stanford, Cornell, Harvard Medical School, and Duke. � Director of the Center for Group Dynamics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology � Died February 12, 1947 in Massachusetts. (Kritsonis, 2011)

Achievements and Contributions � "He wanted to reach beyond the mere description of group life and to investigate the conditions and forces which bring about change or resist it" (Greathouse, 1997) � Acknowledged for his writings on group dynamics, group therapy, and social psychology � Renowned for his field theory concepts that emphasized that the group differs from the simple sum of its parts. (Kritsonis, 2011)

Continued… � In 1946, while working at MIT, Lewin set up a workshop to a “change” workshop to help find an effective way to overcome religious and racial prejudices. ◦ This workshop helped to develop the idea of sensitivity training ◦ Contributed to the establishment of the National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine. (Kurt Lewin's Change Theory, 2011)

“One’s behavior is related both to one’s personal characteristics and to the social situation in which one finds oneself. ” - Kurt Lewin on Field Theory - (Kurt Lewin's Change Theory, 2011)

The Change Theory: Lewin’s Contribution t to Nursing Theory � Lewin theorized a three-stage model of change that is known as: unfreezing change refreeze � The model requires prior learning to be rejected and replaced. (Kritsonis, 2011)

The change theory states behavior as: “a dynamic balance of forces working in opposing directions. ” (Kritsonis, 2011)

Kurt Lewin-Historical Background v 1935 Published "A Dynamic Theory of Personality“ v 1942 President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues v 1944 Organized Research Center For Group. Dynamics, M. I. T.

Kurt Lewin- philosophic values Philosophies Credited to Lewin which apply to the nursing field: v v Lewin believed behavior is a function of the person in their environment. Lewin’s action research uses “a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of the action”.

Kurt Lewinphilosophic values continued v Force field analysis provides a framework for looking at the factors (forces) that influence a situation, originally social situations. It looks at forces that are either driving movement toward a goal (helping forces) or blocking movement toward a goal (hindering forces). v Lewin described change as a threestage process. The first stage he called unfreezing, the second stage the change occurs, the third and final stage he called freezing where the new mindset is crystallizing and one's comfort level is returning to previous levels.

Kurt Lewin-Influences General Influences Psychology v Sociology v Nursing v Political Science v Law v Medicine v v Cultural anthropology v education Most Specific Influence Much of Lewin’s work is attributed to Gestalts Psychology which stresses the importance of studying the subjective way in which an object appears in people’s minds, rather than the objective, physical attributes of the object.

Information and Concepts: Kurt Lewin How does this theorist define the four global concepts of nursing?

Kurt Lewin and Nursing Environment Human being Four Global Concepts of Nursing Health Nursing g N

The Father of Social Psychology Kurt Lewin earned this title by examining the connection between the self and the environment. � In his view the person is combined of multiple systems that control different aspects of a person’s “field”. �A social field represents the whole group and its environment as compared to a “force field” that includes people, attitudes, habits and customs. England, E. & Chernauski-Breen, S. (2012)

The person as a concept… emotion person cognition

…Human Nature an aspect of the personality � The personality is made up of several subsystems � These subsystems require constant regulation in order for normal human behavior to occur. � A pattern of balance is to be maintained in order to achieve an equilibrium. � England, E. & Chernauski-Breen, S. (2012)

Interpretation and Inference: Lewin’s 3 Steps to change… Unfreezing Moving Refreezing

A Revolutionary Concept… �UNFREEZE involves: � People must undergo preparation for change before change can occur… � The more people recognize that a need for change exists, the more likely they are to change… � Once Unfreeze is enacted, the second step of changing and the third step of refreezing can occur more easily. Tyson, B. (2010)

Nursing is constantly presented with change… protocols management technology

Implications and Consequences In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow “All things must change to something new, to something strange. ” (Crotty, 1996). Lewin’s change model is built on the premise that people are more likely to accept change if the need for change is made clear to them and they are involved in the process in a democratic manner (Crotty, 1996).

What does it mean for nursing? Lewins 3 step change model can be used by healthcare institutions to assist in change on the corporate level for management and staff in order to work together to achieve and maintain change for the better. Patients’ best interests are served when all can work together

Evaluation � Is this Change Theory unique to nursing? ◦ NO! � � � “Lewin’s work inspired and directly initiated the creation of an approach to learning about groups, participation in groups, interpersonal relations, and change through action research through the T-group and its development into laboratory learning, which is a primary antecedent of organization development. ” (Coghlan p. 444) This theory is used in many organization, not just nursing, to institute change in a smooth and non-threatening manner. You can even use this in your own personal life! ◦ Ex: You want to introduce a new chore schedule to your children. Explain to them the reason for the change and get their input. ( un-freezing) Then implement the new schedule on a planned date. ( change) Then once the new schedule is in place the children adjust and accept it. ( re-freezing)

Inspiration “For Lewin, it was not enough to try to explain things; one also had to try to change them, and one had to involve others in that process of understanding and change. ” ( Coghlan p. 444)

Global Concepts Human Environment Not defined in detail in this model. Does take into consideration individuals needs for time when adjusting to change. Not defined in this model. Resisting forces such as people or surroundings are evaluated through out the change process. Health Nursing Not defined in this model. The 3 step process to introducing and implementing change is used in all areas of nursing.

Multiple Uses Management uses this change theory in all areas of healthcare. Used when making a change in previous education/policies for any size group or even individuals. If used properly, can be used in any organization.

Lets Put the Change Theory Into Practice!! � Implementing electronic medical records. � Initiating bed side report. � Initiating any evidence based change in practice. � Initiating hourly rounding.

Case Study � You are in charge of implementing a new computer software program for electronic documentation. Under Kurt Lewin’s model of change, what is the first step of the change process called? What would be the best way for you to introduce the change and why?

References Burnes, B. , & Rune, T. B. (2012). Leadership and change: The case for greater ethical clarity. Journal of Business Ethics, 108(2), 239 -252 Chernauski-Breen S. & England, E. (2012). Kurt Lewin: Life overview and social forces. University of Central Oklahoma Journal of Scientific Psychology. Coghlan D. & Jacobs C. (2005). Kurt Lewin on Reeducation : Foundations for Action Research. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 41: 444. Doi: 10. 1177/0021886305277275 Crotty, G. (1996). Focus change in healthcare organizations: an overview. Tennessee Nurse, 59(1). Greathouse, J. (1997, May). Kurt Lewin. Retrieved October 2012, from http: //muskingum. edu/~psych/psycweb/history/lewin. htm Kritsonis, A. (2011). Comparison of Change Theories. International Journal of Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity , 8 (1), 2004 -2005. Kurt Lewin's Change Theory. (2011). Retrieved October 2012, from Nursing Theory: http: //nursing-theory. org/nursingtheorists/Kurt-Lewin. php Smith, M. K. (n. d. ). kurt lewin: groups, experiential learning and action research. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from http: //www. infed. org/thinkers/et-lewin. htm Tyson, B. (2010) Overview of Lewin’s Three Stage Change Model. http: //www. brighthub. com/change-management.