Java reflection manipulate properties

I have an understanding problem with the Java(SpringBoot) reflection API. My setup looks like this:

I have a ViewModel that contains FieldViewModels. Now I want to manipulate the respective attribute error via reflection in each FieldViewModel. However, a ViewModel can also hold a list with FieldViewModel. In this case I want to iterate the list and get all FieldViewModels to manipulate them. As soon as I currently iterate over the list, I get an error :

    public static void setFieldViewModelErrorMessage(Object viewModel) throws IllegalAccessException {
    if (viewModel == null || viewModel instanceof String)
        return;
    Field[] fields = viewModel.getClass().getDeclaredFields();
    for (Field field : fields) {
        //if (field.getType() != FieldViewModel.class)
        //    continue;
        FieldViewModel vm = (FieldViewModel)field.get(viewModel);
        if (vm.getValue().equals(""))
            vm.setErrorMessage(Text.EMPTY_FIELD_ERROR_MESSAGE);
    }
}

My ViewModel:

public class TestViewModel {

public String name;
public String error = "";
public TestFieldViewModel testFieldViewModel = new TestFieldViewModel();
public List<TestFieldViewModel> testFieldViewModelList;

MyTest:

@Test
void setFieldViewModelErrorMessage() throws IllegalArgumentException {
    TestViewModel testVM = new TestViewModel();
    testVM.setName("testVM");
    TestViewModel expectedVM = new TestViewModel();
    expectedVM.setName("expectedName");
    expectedVM.setError(Text.EMPTY_FIELD_ERROR_MESSAGE);
    expectedVM.setTestFieldViewModel(new TestFieldViewModel().setName("TestFieldViewModel"));


    List<TestFieldViewModel> testFieldViewModelList = new ArrayList<>();
    TestFieldViewModel testFieldViewModel = new TestFieldViewModel();
    testFieldViewModel.setName("TestFieldViewModelFromList");
    testFieldViewModelList.add(testFieldViewModel);

    try {
        FieldViewModelIterator.setFieldViewModelErrorMessage(testVM);
    } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    assertThat(testVM).usingRecursiveComparison().isEqualTo(expectedVM);
}

ERROR :

java.lang.ClassCastException: class java.lang.String cannot be cast to class de.achter.auktionsplattform.viewModels.FieldViewModel (java.lang.String is in module java.base of loader 'bootstrap'; de.achter.auktionsplattform.viewModels.FieldViewModel is in unnamed module of loader 'app')

de.achter.auktionsplattform.utils.FieldViewModelIterator.setFieldViewModelErrorMessage(FieldViewModelIterator.java:30)
    at de.achter.auktionsplattform.utils.FieldViewModelIteratorTest.setFieldViewModelErrorMessage(FieldViewModelIteratorTest.java:29)
    at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
    at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:64)
    at java.base/jdk.internal.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:43)
    at java.base/java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:564)
    at org.junit.platform.commons.util.ReflectionUtils.invokeMethod(ReflectionUtils.java:686)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.MethodInvocation.proceed(MethodInvocation.java:60)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain$ValidatingInvocation.proceed(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:131)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.extension.TimeoutExtension.intercept(TimeoutExtension.java:149)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.extension.TimeoutExtension.interceptTestableMethod(TimeoutExtension.java:140)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.extension.TimeoutExtension.interceptTestMethod(TimeoutExtension.java:84)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker$ReflectiveInterceptorCall.lambda$ofVoidMethod$0(ExecutableInvoker.java:115)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker.lambda$invoke$0(ExecutableInvoker.java:105)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain$InterceptedInvocation.proceed(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:106)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain.proceed(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:64)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain.chainAndInvoke(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:45)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.InvocationInterceptorChain.invoke(InvocationInterceptorChain.java:37)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker.invoke(ExecutableInvoker.java:104)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.execution.ExecutableInvoker.invoke(ExecutableInvoker.java:98)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.lambda$invokeTestMethod$6(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:212)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.invokeTestMethod(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:208)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.execute(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:137)
    at org.junit.jupiter.engine.descriptor.TestMethodTestDescriptor.execute(TestMethodTestDescriptor.java:71)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$5(NodeTestTask.java:135)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$7(NodeTestTask.java:125)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.Node.around(Node.java:135)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$8(NodeTestTask.java:123)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.executeRecursively(NodeTestTask.java:122)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.execute(NodeTestTask.java:80)
    at java.base/java.util.ArrayList.forEach(ArrayList.java:1511)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.invokeAll(SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.java:38)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$5(NodeTestTask.java:139)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$7(NodeTestTask.java:125)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.Node.around(Node.java:135)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$8(NodeTestTask.java:123)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.executeRecursively(NodeTestTask.java:122)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.execute(NodeTestTask.java:80)
    at java.base/java.util.ArrayList.forEach(ArrayList.java:1511)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.invokeAll(SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.java:38)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$5(NodeTestTask.java:139)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$7(NodeTestTask.java:125)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.Node.around(Node.java:135)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.lambda$executeRecursively$8(NodeTestTask.java:123)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.ThrowableCollector.execute(ThrowableCollector.java:73)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.executeRecursively(NodeTestTask.java:122)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.NodeTestTask.execute(NodeTestTask.java:80)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.submit(SameThreadHierarchicalTestExecutorService.java:32)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.HierarchicalTestExecutor.execute(HierarchicalTestExecutor.java:57)
    at org.junit.platform.engine.support.hierarchical.HierarchicalTestEngine.execute(HierarchicalTestEngine.java:51)
    at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.execute(DefaultLauncher.java:248)
    at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.lambda$execute$5(DefaultLauncher.java:211)
    at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.withInterceptedStreams(DefaultLauncher.java:226)
    at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.execute(DefaultLauncher.java:199)
    at org.junit.platform.launcher.core.DefaultLauncher.execute(DefaultLauncher.java:132)
    at com.intellij.junit5.JUnit5IdeaTestRunner.startRunnerWithArgs(JUnit5IdeaTestRunner.java:71)
    at com.intellij.rt.junit.IdeaTestRunner$Repeater.startRunnerWithArgs(IdeaTestRunner.java:33)
    at com.intellij.rt.junit.JUnitStarter.prepareStreamsAndStart(JUnitStarter.java:220)
    at com.intellij.rt.junit.JUnitStarter.main(JUnitStarter.java:53)