Question

In the Lewin theory the main factors that determine behaviour are :

• A. Threat, goal, barrier
• B. Purpose, sign, expectancy
• C. Reinforcement, stimulus, feedback
• D. Insight, expectancy, goal

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Threat, goal, barrier

Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory

Threat, goal, barrier - These terms are central to Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory, which suggests that behavior is not just a result of past habits or innate traits, but a result of the "Life Space"—the total psychological environment as it exists for the individual at a specific moment.

Lewin’s Concept of Behavior

Lewin expressed his theory through the famous formula:

B = f (P, E)

(Behavior is a function of the Person and their Environment).

Within this "Life Space," Lewin identified several forces that determine how an individual moves:

• Goal (Valence): This is the object or outcome an individual wants to reach (positive valence) or avoid (negative valence).

• Barrier: These are obstacles in the person's psychological environment that prevent them from reaching their goal.

• Threat: A negative force or an unpleasant consequence that might push the individual away from a certain path.

• Tension: When a need arises, it creates a state of tension that drives the individual toward a goal to find "equilibrium."

• Purpose, sign, expectancy: These are key terms in Edward Tolman's Sign Learning Theory (Purposive Behaviorism). Tolman believed we learn "cognitive maps" or signs rather than just motor responses.

• Reinforcement, stimulus, feedback: These are the primary components of Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner) and general Behaviorism.

• Insight, expectancy, goal: While "goal" and "expectancy" are relevant to many cognitive theories, "Insight" is specifically the hallmark of Gestalt Psychology (Köhler’s experiments with apes).