Named for the late Kurt Lewin, a pioneer in the science of group dynamics & a founder of SPSSI, this award is presented annually for "outstanding contributions to the development and integration of psychological research and social action."
The award recipient typically presents a distinguished address each year as part of SPSSI's program.
Notable awardees include Dr. Faye Crosby, Dr. James Jones, Dr. Susan Fiske, Dr. Thomas Pettigrew and Dr. Alice Eagly among many other prominent scholars.
Nominees and self-nominees should be investigators who have made “outstanding contributions to the development and integration of psychological research and social action.”
Nominations and self-nominations should include full name, contact information, current CV, and a statement of recommendation that addresses how the nominee’s research explores social issues or problems; how the scholarship might move beyond the laboratory to engage with communities, intervention, or policy-shaping; and how the work has had an impact on the field of social psychology.”
Please note:
- Nominations can be endorsed by multiple SPSSI members, but separate letters of recommendation are not required.
- Selection is not made on the basis of how many recommendations are received for any nominee.
- The selection committee may request additional information to supplement nominations.
- Nominations that aren’t selected for the award remain active for consideration for two subsequent annual award cycles.
Important Instructions for processing your nomination:
Nominations should be emailed to awards@spssi.org, copying jbelsley@spssi.org, with the subject “2027 Kurt Lewin Nomination.”
The Kurt Lewin Award, given by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, recognizes “outstanding contributions to the development and integration of psychological research and social action.”
The 2026 Kurt Lewin Award winner is Dr. Susan Opotow, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center. In selecting Dr. Opotow for this award, the committee noted that in her scholarship has had a lasting impact on social psychology by illuminating how “moral exclusion” shapes intergroup conflict, injustice, and dehumanization. Her theoretical work on injustice is based on empirical studies utilizing quantitative, qualitative, and historical methods to examine how, when, and why injustice directed at marginalized groups is rendered “normal.” By integrating psychological theory with real-world issues such as environmental conflict, Opotow advances understanding of how moral reasoning becomes narrowed, and how it can be expanded, to foster inclusion, empathy, and more equitable social relations. As one of Dr. Opotow’s nominees wrote, “The breadth of her examination of the ways in which societies reflect, inscribe and deepen inequalities through moral exclusion is a stunning accomplishment. She has taken seriously the Lewinian demand that we think not only about how individuals act in the laboratory, but how our collective actions and inactions produce and reproduce social inequity and conflict.”
The 2026 Kurt Lewin Award Selection Committee:
Alyssa Zucker (Chair)
Harmony Reppond
Shaun Wiley
John Jost
Nihan Albayrak-Aydemir
Susan Opotow is a social psychologist and professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center, two campuses of the City University of New York. Her scholarship focuses on justice, specifically on a construct she developed: the scope of justice, which is attentive to when, how, and why the scope of justice widens and narrows over time. Her scholarly work examines shifts in exclusionary and inclusionary directions in such contexts as: aggression, violence, and hate; environmental and schooling conflicts; and the challenges of fostering inclusion and peace in post-war periods. She has published widely in journals and book chapters, and co-edited two books on social issues: Identity and the natural environment: The psychological significance of nature (MIT, 2003) and New York After 9/11 (2018, Fordham University). She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and five APA divisions. Professor Opotow joined SPSSI as a graduate student and became an active member. first serving as SPSSI Newsletter editor, then the Journal of Social Issues Editorial Board, then SPSSI Council, and was elected SPSSI’s President (2008-2009). Also active in the American Psychological Association, she was Editor for Division 48’s journal, Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology. Division 48 conferred the 2008 Morton Deutsch Conflict Resolution Award on her for “outstanding contributions as a scholar, teacher, and mentor. Her research has inspired conflict resolution scholars and practitioners around the world.” In the last decade, she was elected to serve on and later chair two APA boards: the Board for the Advancement of Psychology in the Public Interest and the Board of Educational Affairs. Her contributions to APA and to the field of psychology were recognized in a 2021 APA Presidential Citation for utilizing “the lens of psychology to broaden our understanding of social phenomena” and for her teaching and service to the field.
|
.png){kind=small}
