Gestalt Therapy Counseling Psychology History and Interventions Research Paper

Abstract

Gestalt is a German word signifying a pattern or shape. The roots of Gestalt therapy can be traced to Max Wertheimer, who studied human perceptual illusions. Wertheimer’s research led to a holistic view of the human psyche that provided a necessary counterpoint to the fragmented, reductionist, and structuralist views that prevailed in research psychology. Gestalt therapy emerged after blending the principles of Gestalt with the goals of psychotherapy. In particular, Gestalt therapists like Frederick “Fritz” Perls used the concept of a Gestalt to emphasize the importance of holism in psychotherapy. Humanism also became a cornerstone of Gestalt therapy, which promotes an “I/Thou” therapeutic relationship based on points of contact between individuals who are connected in an integrated social network. Group therapy and art therapy are also methods used in Gestalt psychology.

Although the phrase may seem out of vogue, Gestalt psychology underwrites a lot of contemporary psychotherapies and therapeutic interventions, particularly those with a humanistic outlook. Gestalt psychology started off with firm empirical grounding in the science of perception and cognition, and then merged with prevailing psychotherapies to become an integrated type of holistic therapy that promotes self-awareness, self-empowerment, and acceptance.

Origin and History of Gestalt

In 1912, Max Wertheimer offered a new paradigm for the field of psychology. Reacting against the reductionist tendencies of his colleagues, Wertheimer postulated that the best way to understand human behavior, the human psyche, and the human condition was to zoom out, viewing it as a whole instead of merely a sum of discrete and distinct parts. Gestalt is a German word meaning “pattern,” or “shape,” and Wertheimer provided some empirical support for his theory first by publishing the results of his research in human perception. Wertheimer studied a phenomenon called apparent motion, a type of visual illusion that occurs when watching a film reel. The individual perceives motion where there is really just a series of static images. From this early experiment, Wertheimer showed how all manner of human perceptions generated “emergent properties,” which were “overall qualities of an experience that are not inherent in its components,” (Rock & Palmer, 1990, p. 84). The concept of emergence in psychology, cognitive science, and social systems has become so engrained, that it is easy to forget to credit the Gestalt psychology movement.

Gestalt psychology draws from philosophies of Immanuel Kant, Ernst Mach, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Cherry, 2019). Other prominent Gestalt psychologists include Wolfgang Kohler, who is credited with saying “the whole is different than the sum of its parts,” and Kurt Koffka (Cherry, 2019, p. 1). Early Gestalt researchers focused mainly on the application of theory to understanding human perception, but later researchers merged Gestalt tenets with psychotherapy. The most notable form of Gestalt therapy was developed by Frederick “Fritz” Perls. Fritz Perls’s Gestalt therapy blended psychoanalysis with humanistic, experiential, and interpersonal interventions (Yontef & Jacobs, n.d.). Especially when it comes to perception and cognition, Gestalt propositions can be empirically tested, making it a good fit for the increasing rigor of the social sciences. While reductionism and structuralism remain important lenses through which to view some aspects of human perception, cognition, and behavior, the Gestalt tradition reminds researchers not to surrender appreciation for the forest when examining an individual tree.

Framework and Concepts

The concept of Gestalt can be defined as a type of framework: asking researchers to step back and view variables as a system, watching for patterns and interconnectedness. A melody in music is one example of a Gestalt experience: one cannot perceive a melody by looking at one note or one chord. Rather, the listener must hear a sequence of notes and chords over time to make out a melody (Rock & Palmer, 1990). Visual perception is of course another way to test the theories of Gestalt psychology. A shape is comprised of many smaller elements. Those constituent parts, such as the lines that make up a square, are worthy in and of themselves. Yet only a Gestalt…

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…boundaries. Individuals are part of a broader social field, the Gestalt social network that binds all people, as well as special relationships like the one that develops between counselor and client. The counselor-client relationship itself has a boundary, which is respected via confidentiality and privacy agreements and mutual trust. Points of contact emerge between the counselor and client, and those points of contact become opportunities for growth, observation, self-awareness, and change. Likewise, in group counseling, there are points of contact between each and every individual in the group, and the group also has its own distinct social boundary differentiating it from other social networks.

When working with children, the role of the counselor in Gestalt therapy may be totally different than it is when working with adults. Keeping with the humanistic approach to the therapeutic relationship, compassion and unconditional positive regard are afforded to all clients. Yet with children, there may be “disturbances” in the contact-boundary that signal hindrances to change or to self-acceptance (Oaklander, 1994, p. 143). Oaklander (1994) also explains other contact-boundary disturbances that can arise when Gestalt therapists work with children, such as confluence, projection, and introjection. These disturbances can also arise when working with adults, especially when unresolved issues come to the fore.

Developmental Scheme and Etiological Assumptions in Gestalt

Gestalt psychology has no formal developmental model, but does imply that psychological problems stem from a lack of self-acceptance or a lack of wholeness. The individual needs to reach equilibrium; disturbances in one’s belief system or sense of selfhood cause conflicts, which may have problematic behavioral outcomes. Problems can arise due to fundamental misalignments: misalignments between the self and other people (such as interpersonal conflicts), misalignments between one’s values and one’s life conditions (such as a work/life imbalance), or misalignments between one’s goals and one’s current state of affairs. Development is akin to change, presented as a fundamental paradox in which homeostasis and transformation are concurrent. It is assumed that the individual’s increased level of awareness and understanding…