THE LEWIN, LIPPITT AND WHITE STUDY OF LEADERSHIP AND SOCIAL CLIMATES REVISITED

Sparked by the 100th Anniversary of Kurt Lewin's birth, this paper re- examines a classic 1939 study by Lewin, Lippitt, and White, of three l eadership styles and the resulting different social climates, that is, autocratic, democratic, and laissez faire. A gradual extension of Lew inian field theory to include unconscious motivations in individual an d in group behavior has served to broaden the already significant infl uence of this research on the behavioral sciences. Two recent developm ents moved me to write this communication: (I) The 100th Anniversary i n 1990 of Kurt Lewin's birth (Maccoby, 1992); and (b) a broadening of Lewinian field theory to encompass unconscious motivations (White, 199 2).