Article
Article name Conceptual Construct “Behavior” In Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory
Authors Serikov A.E. Candidate of Philosophy, Associate Professor, aeserikov@mail.ru
Bibliographic description Serikov A. E. Conceptual Construct “Behavior” In Kurt Lewin’s Field Theory // Humanitarian Vector. 2020. Vol. 15, No. 4. PP. 180–187. DOI: 10.21209/1996-7853-2020-15-4-180-187.
Section PHILOSOPHY OF THINKING AND COGNITION
UDK 111.6 +159.9
DOI 10.21209/1996-7853-2020-15-4-180-187
Article type
Annotation Discussion of philosophical and theoretical issues that go beyond individual traditions and schools in the social sciences and humanities is hampered by the absence of generalizing terms that would be minimally loaded with metaphysical and ideological connotations. The concept of “behavior” understood in the context of its use in Kurt Lewin’s field theory, may be the most suitable to generalize such linguistic categories as “action”, “activity”, “interaction”, “behavior”, “practice”, “communication”. The goal of the study is to clarify the methodological prerequisites for the development of this concept by K. Levin, its meaning in the field theory, its relations to empirical observations, and the prospects for its use in modern theoretical models. “Behavior” in the field theory is analogical to “velocity” of classical physics and has the same conceptual dimension as the rate of change of position with respect to time, “position” meaning not only a person’s place in physical environment but psychophysiological state of the person as well. A person’s behavior is understood as function of the person’s states and psychologically significant properties of environment at a given time. This idea is used in several contemporary theoretical models of behavior and can be used to model cultural and social regulation of human behavior as well. In particular, a model was proposed for situational grammar of behavior and the associated method of analyzing fictional narratives, which allows one to identify human dispositions to different forms of behavior in various situations, including sacrifice and its acceptance, which is important for research in anthropology of sacrifice.
Key words field theory, theoretical construct, conceptual dimension, behavior, modes of behavior, psychological environment, psychophysiological state, Kurt Lewin
Article information
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