Historical Context of Applied Social Psychology

The scientific foundation of applied social psychology can be traced at least as

far back as the 1930s to the thinking and work of social psychologist Kurt Lewin
(1936). Lewin conducted research on a variety of practical issues and social
problems such as how to get people to eat healthier diets and how interpersonal
relations and productivity are affected by different supervisory styles. For
instance, in the latter case, Lewin and his colleagues (Lewin, Lippitt, & White,
1939) conducted an experiment in which they had groups of schoolboys work
on hobbies under the direction of a male adult who varied his leadership in one
of three ways: autocratic (controlling, gave orders, made the decisions),
democratic (asked for input, allowed boys to make choices), or laissez-faire
(interacted little with boys, mainly observed). The results for interpersonal
relations and productivity generally favoured the democratic style. For example,
compared with boys under the laissez-faire leadership style, boys under
autocratic and democratic leaders spent more time working; however, when the
leader left the room, the amount of work done by the autocratic groups dropped
sharply, whereas this did not happen in the democratic groups. It is important
to recognize that Lewin’s goal was not only to further the scientific
understanding of these topics but also to contribute to their solutions. Very
important to him was linking psychological theory to application, and the
following words of Lewin (1944/1951) represent probably the most commonly
cited quotation in social psychology: Many psychologists working in an applied
field are keenly aware of the need for close cooperation between theoretical
and applied psychology. This can be accomplished in psychology, as it has been
accomplished in physics, if the theorist does not look toward applied problems
with highbrow aversion or with a fear of social problems and if the applied
psychologist realizes that there is nothing so practical as a good theory. (p. 169)
Lewin left a solid scientific legacy for applied social psychology in his emphasis
on the integration of theory, research, and practice. The 1930s and 1940s
witnessed, among social psychologists such as Lewin, a flurry of concern with
applied issues and practical problems, much of which stemmed from the rise of
Nazism and World War II (Jones, 1998). In fact, Brehm, Kassin, and Fein (1999)
went so far as to suggest that Adolf Hitler had more influence on the field of
social psychology than did any other person, including leading social
psychologists: “Hitler’s rise to power and the ensuing turmoil caused people
around the world to become desperate for answers to social psychological
questions about what causes violence, prejudice and genocide, conformity and
obedience, and a host of other social problems and behaviours” (pp. 12–13).
Reich (1981) observed that the foundation of applied social psychology was set
by 1950 because the potential of using scientific methods to address social
problems had been demonstrated successfully by, for instance, Lewin and
colleagues’ (1939) work on the effects of autocratic leadership and Sherif’s
(1966b) work on conflict resolution. It seemed as though an applied psychology
centred in the field of social psychology was poised to take off. Yet the “take off”
did not occur for another 20 years or so. In fact, in social psychology, there
occurred a backlash to applied developments. The negative reaction emanated
largely from a widespread concern that “applied” was synonymous with low
quality and, thus, threatened the scientific integrity of the discipline (Reich,
1981; Streufert & Suedfeld, 1982). During the late 1940s and the 1950s, social
psychology experienced a concerted movement away from applied concerns to
a “pure science” emphasis on theory and laboratory experiments focused on
basic social processes (e.g., processes of attitude formation and change, group
structure, impression formation). In fact, the relationship between research on
basic processes and applied research was described with terms such as
estrangement and schism.
Just as the events around World War II sparked interest in applied social
psychology, so too did the events of the 1960s. A host of powerful social and
political occurrences (e.g., assassinations of John
F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., war in Vietnam, race riots, campus
protests, civil rights movement, women’s liberation movement) forced
increased attention on a variety of pressing social issues endemic to American
society (Ross, Lepper, & Ward, 2010). Many of the problems were the same as
those that had come to a focus during the 1930s and 1940s (e.g., violence,
prejudice), and some were new (e.g., social injustice). There were increased
cries—both within psychology (including from students) and in the broader
society—for psychology to become more socially relevant (Jones, 1998; Reich,
1981). At the same time, many social psychologists had begun to criticize the
overreliance on laboratory experiments, pointing out that the field would
benefit from methodological approaches that also included field research and a
variety of non experimental research methods. Very instrumental in setting the
stage for the emergence of a clearly defined field of applied social psychology
was a 1969 series of articles in American Psychologist that focused on the
interface between science and social issues. Some of the titles of the articles
reflected the emerging applied emphasis of the field: “Psychology as a Means of
Promoting Human Welfare” (Miller, 1969); “Social Psychology in an Era of Social
Change” (Weick, 1969); “Socially Relevant Science: Reflections on Some Studies
of Interpersonal Conflict” (Deutsch, 1969); “Experimental Psychology and Social
Responsibility” (Walker, 1969); and “Reforms as Experiments” (Campbell, 1969).
In response to such developments, applied social psychology surfaced during
the 1970s as a clearly identifiable field (Reich, 1981; Streufert & Suedfeld, 1982).
There were several notable benchmarks, including the establishment of a
journal devoted specifically to applied issues and research, the Journal of
Applied Social Psychology, in 1970–1971 and the founding of the first doctoral
program in applied social psychology at Loyola University of Chicago in 1974
(Bickman, 1981). These soon were followed by other developments that
reinforced the identity of applied social psychology, including another journal
(Basic and Applied Social Psychology) in 1980 and the first textbook in applied
social psychology (Fisher’s Social Psychology: An Applied Approach) in 1982. So,
after some delay, the field of applied social psychology finally took off—“an
actualization of long-term fundamental trends in the science” (Reich, 1981, p.
65). Here we are today, some 40 or so years later. In our view, a lot has
happened in the meantime that has reinforced the initial promise of Lewin’s
legacy of integrating theory, research, and practice. Applied social psychology is
firmly entrenched as a branch of social psychology.

Murshid Husain