Resolving Social Conflicts: Selected Papers on Group Dynamics
Kurt Lewin
Binding: Hard cover with dust jacket
Book Condition: The book is in fairly good condition with a previous owner's name inside and some tanning on the end papers in line with the dust jacket. The dust jacket is in poor condition with a big section of the lower spine missing and also two small holes at the top of the front cover of the dj.
Edition: 1948
Resolving Social Conflicts is a collection of early essays exploring the relationship between individuals, groups, and the process of conflict, from a social psychological perspective.
Resolving Social Conflicts will be of interest to those who seek a better understanding of the role of group psychology in conflict. This work is divided into thirteen essays grouped in three parts, with a forward by Gordon Allport. These collected essays present Lewin's original work in social psychology. The essays share this common thesis: "The group to which an individual belongs is the ground for his perceptions, his feelings, and his actions."[vii] Written over the course of World War II, many of these essays focus on German culture, Jewish repression, and the possibility of cultural change.
The essays in Part One focus on the problems of changing national cultures.
Part Two explores conflicts within face-to-face, democratic groups. In the opening chapter Lewin describes the experimental approach to social psychology. He describes an experiment designed to investigate the differences in acquisition of either a democratic or an autocratic culture. Chapter Six explore conflict within marriage as a case of individual and group conflict. Chapter Seven examines the effect of individuals' perceptions of the future on morale, leadership, productivity, and level of aspiration. Chapter Eight illustrates the social psychological approach to conflict via a case study of a chronic workplace conflict.
In Part Three Lewin explores conflict between groups, and the effect of group belonging. Chapter Nine analyses the psycho-sociological problems of minority groups resulting from discrimination and prejudice, via the concepts of life space, social ground, and marginal membership. In Chapters Ten through Twelve Lewin draws further on these concepts to suggest coping strategies for minorities, particularly emphasizing Jewish minorities. He addresses both responses to external stress and danger, and to internal self-hate. Lewin also discusses the particular issues which arise when raising Jewish and other minority children. Lewin's concluding chapter outlines the further social psychological research needed to constructively address minority problems.
Resolving Social Conflicts introduces some basic concepts in social psychological research. While the particular issue he addresses may be dated, Lewin's approach and analysis remain insightful.
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