Field theory: Lewin’s theoretical principles and Gestalt.
LEWIN’S FIELD THEORY. Gestalt.
The theoretical principles developed by Kurt Lewin (1890-1947) in field theory are part of the broader framework of the theory of form, Gestalt. Gestalt was a radically innovative movement in the nascent psychology of the beginning of the century, which allowed the development of new hypotheses regarding psychic phenomena and the methods of investigating such phenomena. First of all, the Gestaltists opposed the elementary and associationist conceptions of the nineteenth century by proposing the concept of Gestalt as a totality.
The idea of totality, given immediately and not added or associated with the components, is expressed in the following assumption: the whole is something different and more than the sum of the parts that compose it. In fact, our mind provides a structure, a form to reality, organizing stimuli according to peculiar laws that are independent of stimulation coming from outside. It is precisely within this perspective that Lewin deepened the notion of field and the concept that psychic phenomena must be investigated on the basis of the global configuration they assume and on the basis of the system of relations that exists between the parts. Different forces interact dynamically in the field, with the tendency to maintain a state of equilibrium between them. If new forces alter this equilibrium, there is a reorganization of the field. It follows that psychic phenomena must be studied in their specificity, according to the provisional and never definitive equilibrium that the forces in the field assume.
LEWIN: FIELD THEORY. The field is defined by Lewin (1936) as the totality of facts existing at a given moment. The nature of these facts is threefold, they are: the living space, the external environment and the frontier zone.
- Life space can be defined as the totality of facts that determine the behavior (C) of an individual at a given moment and includes the person (P) and the environment (A). Life space also represents the totality of possible psychological events.
- The external environment includes facts that do not affect the living space at a given moment, that are not present in the field at that moment.
- The border zone includes the set of facts that are located between the living space and the external environment, between the subjective and objective dimensions. This border is permeable and allows the external environment to enter the field.
Any behavior depends on the configuration of the field at that given moment. Any behavior can then be summarized with the formula proposed by Lewin C=f(PA) or behavior is a function of the person for the environment. This formula allows Lewin to affirm that the dynamics of the processes must always take into account the relationship between the person and the situation. The field theory dynamically describes a situation in which the person and the environment assume equal dignity. Lewin also highlights which forces are in play in determining a given behavior, both internal factors, such as motivations and needs, and external factors, which appear in his analyses as psychological data, since they are experienced in the psychological field being investigated.
Further fundamental contributions of Lewin’s work are those related to the theorization of the group as a dynamic totality and to the methodology of action research, which unites the cognitive dimension of a phenomenon with the practice of active intervention.
