What is Lewin's field theory?
Field theory was developed by German-American psychologist Kurt Lewin, who borrowed the idea of a "field" from physics. He argued that behavior can't be explained by personality alone or by the environment alone; it emerges from the psychological field the two create together. He summed it up as B = f(P, E): behavior is a function of the person and the environment. Influenced by Gestalt psychology, the theory looks at the whole situation rather than isolated parts.
Life space and forces
Lewin called the totality of a person and their environment, as that person perceives it at a given moment, the life space (1936). Within it, forces pull toward or push away from goals, and behavior depends on how those forces balance out. Even the past and future matter only through how they're perceived in the here and now.
What are force field analysis and the three-step model?
Force field analysis lists the driving forces pushing for change and the restraining forces holding it back. The status quo is a "quasi-stationary equilibrium" between the two, so change means strengthening drivers or weakening restraints, and Lewin thought reducing restraints usually triggers less resistance.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Unfreeze | People realize the old way isn't working and accept the need to change |
| Change (move) | New behaviors, structures or values are learned and tried out |
| Refreeze | The new way is locked into policies and culture so it sticks |
The three-step model is generally traced to Lewin's 1947 writing and remains a staple of organizational change and resistance management courses.
The leadership climate studies
Lewin, Lippitt and White (1939) varied leadership style in boys' clubs: autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire. Autocratic groups showed more aggression or apathy, laissez-faire groups more disorganization, and democratic groups relatively more cooperation and satisfaction. The study is a fixture in leadership theory textbooks.
Influence and critiques
Lewin founded the field of group dynamics and proposed action research, which cycles between research and practice. He's also known for the line "there is nothing so practical as a good theory." His person-environment view carries into Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, and his here-and-now focus echoes Gestalt therapy; for the downside of group pressure, see groupthink. Critics note that his topological terms are more metaphor than rigorous math and that his constructs are hard to measure.
FAQ
- Does the E in B = f(P, E) mean the objective environment?
- No. Lewin meant the psychological environment as the person perceives it. The same classroom can be a different E for different students.
- Is unfreeze-change-refreeze still used?
- Yes, though critics call it too simple for organizations in constant change, so it's often taught alongside models like Kotter's eight steps.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-25
References
- Lewin, K. (1936). Principles of Topological Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Lewin, K. (1951). Field Theory in Social Science: Selected Theoretical Papers (D. Cartwright, Ed.). New York: Harper & Row.
- Lewin, K., Lippitt, R., & White, R. K. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created "social climates." Journal of Social Psychology, 10(2), 271–299.