Unfreeze-Change-Refreeze or Square-Blob-Star Model of
Change
Rhoades (1972) proposed a simple three-step "unfreeze-change-refreeze"
model to describe the process of the growth and change during outdoor
education programs. This 3-step change process was first described by
Kurt Lewin (see Field Theory). It is also described as the
square-blob-star model. It basically means going from State A into an
unfrozen, unformed or "blob" change, and then reforming in a different
pattern, such as a star.
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The first step, “unfreeze”
involves the process of letting go of certain restricting attitudes during
the initial stages of an outdoor education experience.
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The second step, "change"
involves alteration of self-conceptions and ways of thinking during the
experience.
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The third step, "refreeze"
involves solidifying or crystallizing the changes into a new, permanent
form for the individual, a process which takes place towards the end of an
outdoor education program.
Rhoades seems to have based this individual change
model on Lewin's (1951) model for organizational change. This model
has some similarities Van Gennep's and Maddern's
rites of passage models.
If you're still curious about Lewin's 3-stage
unfreeze-change-refreeze model, explore these links:
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