Carolina Quotes
Even if all the laws of psychology were known, one could make a prediction about the behavior of a man only if in addition to the laws, the special nature of the particular situation were known.

Kurt Zadek Lewin Connected to the Carolinas

Source

p. 11.

work
Principles of topological psychology, 1936
year
1936
locator
p. 11

Cite this record

“Even if all the laws of psychology were known, one could mak…” Kurt Zadek Lewin. Carolina Quotes, record CQ-43AA746DB8. https://carolinaquotes.com/quote/43aa746db8

More from Kurt Zadek Lewin

Only a few years ago one could observe, at least among German psychologists, a quite pessimistic mood. After the initial successes of experimental psychology in its early stages, it seemed to become clearer and clearer that it would remain impossible for experimental method to press on beyond the psychology of perception and memory to such vital problems as those with which psychoanalysis was concerned. Weighty 'philosophical' and 'methodological' considerations seemed to make such an undertaking a priori impossible.
A Dynamic Theory of Personality, 1935, p. v.
To instigate changes toward democracy a situation has to be created for a certain period where the leader is sufficiently in control to rule out influences he does not want and to manipulate the situation to a sufficient degree. The goal of the democratic leader in this transition period will have to be the same as any good teacher, namely to make himself superfluous, to be replaced by indigenous leaders from the group.
As cited in: M.K. Smith (2001) "Kurt Lewin, groups, experiential learning and action research". In: The Encyclopedia of Informal Education.
Planning starts usually with something like a general idea. For one reason or another it seems desirable to reach a certain objective, and how to reach it is frequently not too clear. The first step then is to examine the idea carefully in the light of the means available. Frequently more fact-finding about the situation is required. If this first period of planning is successful, two items emerge: namely, an ‘over-all plan’ of how to reach the objective and secondly, a decision in regard to the first step of action. Usually this planning has also somewhat modified the original idea. The next period is devoted to executing the first step of the original plan.
Action research and minority problems, 1946, p. 37.

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