Meteorological Models in Social Dynamics:II. The Extension of Meteorological Concepts to Sociology
Abstract
Meteorological Models in Social Dynamics I. The Extension of Meteorological Concepts to Sociology J. W. THOMPSON POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS OF FRONTAL THEORY IN CONSIDERING whether it is feasible to use meteorological concepts for adap- tation in social dynamics, Lewin's field theory (Lewin, 1952) can be used as a starting-point, but compared with a meteorological pressure field, Lewin's force field is not fully dynamic. In a meteorological pressure field the opposing forces are initially parallel to the line of separation (Figure lb), and in the course of time curve into one another at an acute angle (Figure 2b). In Lewin's force field, however (Figure la), the opposing forces are at right-angles to the line of separation which can only move up or down and indicate an overall change in equilibrium (see also Lewin, 1952, p. 208). No provision is made for genuine interaction. A meteoro- logical front is pliable and provides for interaction, but Lewin's boundary is rigid and allows only for a change in level. Lewin's picture cannot adequately account for the kind of change extending over a period of time which, after beginning gradually, gathers momentum, reaches a climax, and then declines, leading in some circumstances to re-establishment