From Life Space to Cyberspace: Reimagining Lewin’s and Bourdieu’s Field Theories for the Digital Era

This paper extends Kurt Lewin’s and Pierre Bourdieu’s field theories in the modern context of the digital society and highlights their contemporary relevance. Lewin’s field theory emphasizes the interaction between individuals and their socio-psychological environment (life space) and suggests that human behavior is widely influenced by external forces. Bourdieu’s concept of social fields rests upon structured spaces within society (cultural, educational, economic etc.) and their power dynamics on social hierarchies. The article starts from the intersection of these theories to explain contemporary digital phenomena. The paper shows that virtual spaces and online interaction impact human identity and behavior, following the same principles used by Lewin for his topological psychology made famous with the concept of „Kriegslandschaft”, as well as by Bourdieu for his social capital theory. This research emphasizes that field theory offers a critical framework to understand how digital environments influence socialization and hierarchy.