Definition extracted with permission from Simon, Fritz, et al, Family Process, Inc.: Language of Family Therapy: A Systemic Vocabulary and Source Book (Family Process Press Series)
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field/field theory
The term "field," borrowed from the language of physics, is used in social psychology, to denote the entirety of a process or situation perceived spatially or experientially. A perceiver structures the details of his or her perceptions into a coherent, perceptual field. Field theory posits, as does gestalt theory, that the behavior and experience of an individual is configurally organized. The concomitant physiological processes are also e.g., patterns of energy distribution or change. Viewed in this manner, field theory and gestalt theory can be considered to be concepts of epistemology.