activity, including the subjective ones that the behaviorists had rejected (White, 1992).
But Lewin was not simply interested in individual development and the genesis of individual behavior. He is at least as well known for his work dealing with group development and group behavior. His work led to the further development of the field of group dynamics.
Group dynamics. One of the early series of experiments in this field was that conducted by Lewin, with the assistance of Ronald Lippitt and Ralph White. These experiments were concerned with determining the effects a leader's style had on group members. The styles of leadership that they explored were defined as autocratic, democratic, and laissez faire (as a side note, the concept of laissez faire is primarily a Lewinian concept in itself). Their interest was in trying to determine how these styles influenced the behavior of groups as a whole, and individuals within those groups, on various measures.
For example, they looked at productivity in groups depending on the different styles. They learned that the autocratic groups were th
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