...Gestalt Psychology Reflection Jessica Flatequal PSY/310 11/09/2015 University of Phoenix Major contributors of Gestalt Psychology were Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler. The main observations, questions, and principles characteristics from Gestalt Psychology became part of every American Psychologists mental equipment. Mark Wertheimer wrote a paper on phi motion in 1912, which was known to start Gestalt Psychology. Throughout this paper I will review the main contributing events in Gestalt Psychology and its influences in America. Contributions Gestalt contributed to therapy known as Gestalt therapy which focuses on raising individuals boundaries, needs, and sensory. This therapy helps contribute to one’s own self-worth. Gestalt has always focused on whole rather than individuals. Gestalt psychology focuses on human experiencing psychological events as a whole. Wertheimer shifted his interest from law to philosophy and psychology. He had an influence on other things besides the school of thought such as sensation and perception. Kurt Koffka main interest of study was colors such as the difference of color with short and long wave lengths. As a professor at Smith College where he studied the principles of Gestalt, concentrating on focusing and memory. Wolfgang Kohler worked side by side with Werheimer and Koffka at the University of Frankfurt where he studied perceptual ideas through...
Words: 736 - Pages: 3
...Influences of Gestalt psychology were Immanuel Kant’s study on the focuses of perception as a whole, Ernst Mach’s influence of sensation thinking, and Christin von Ehrenfel’s further exploration and experimentation on Mach’s sensations theory. Max Wertheimer studied Ehrenfel’s work and used it as the bass for his movement of the Gestalt theory. In addition, the two other founders of Gestalt psychology, Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Kohler, studied elements of consciousness and artificial abstractions that furthered Gestalt research and movement. “After Wertheimer initiated the studies on the perception of apparent movement, Gestalt psychologists seized on other perceptual phenomena. The experience of perceptual constancies afforded additional support for their views” (Schultz, 2011, p. 271). The idea of perceptual constancy is having completeness and or wholeness not very even if information is missing. Gestalt psychology is theory of the mind being so complex and dynamic that sensory elements such as vision and sound interact in order to fill in missing information that is perceived by an individual who is perceiving the information given. The founders of Gestalt psychology explain perceptual and a few defining principles. The first law is similarity, meaning items are perceived as being together such as forming a group. For example, if an individual were to see a group of squares and circles the law similarity would allow the individual to group the squares and circles separately...
Words: 508 - Pages: 3
...Gestalt psychology Reflection Paper Shenique Harmon-Anthony Psychology 310 PATRICIA LAFOUNTAINE December 14th 2015 Erving Polster, in the book Gestalt Therapy Integrated: Contours of Theory & Practice attempted to give his own version of an analogy that in his thinking summarizes a portion of the theory in question. He says, “When a person has swum, traveled, run a lathe, planted flowers, ridden a motorcycle, made wine, painted a picture, parachuted, he has increased the fund from which he may draw for new figural developments. In other words, as the background of his experience becomes more diversified, it also becomes potentially more harmonious with a whole range of happenings.” This description briefly encapsulates why Gestalt psychology is considered as a whole. Gestalt psychology believes that things should not be looked at individual elements but as a whole. It is a school of thought in psychology that looks at the human mind and behavior as a whole. It is noted that they are three founders who are responsible for establishing the school of gestalt psychology. Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka as well as Wolfgang Kohler. However, its moorings are anchored in the work of Max Wertheimer and was formed partially as a response to the structuralism of Wilhelm Wundt. Gestalt psychology has some foundations and those are perception, memory and learning. The major principles of Gestalt psychology are isomorphism, productive thinking and reproductive thinking. The main...
Words: 719 - Pages: 3
...Cognitive Theorist Paper Cognitive theories began to become extremely popular in the late twentieth century. Cognitive theorist such as Jean Piaget , Edward C. Tolman , Albert Bandura and Max Wertheimer raised the most attention in the psychology world. The focus of this reading will be on Max Wertheimer. What he brought to the field of learning and cognition; the Gestalt theory, the theory he is most notably known for and the concepts most commonly accepted from that model will be discussed and analyzed. Max Wertheimer born on April 15th 1880 in Prague was a well-known psychologist. His father was an educationist and his mother had received her doctorate degree from the University of Wurzburg. Wertheimer studied at the Psychological Institute at the University of Frankfurt. He later worked as a professor at the University of Frankfurt for several years. Wertheimer migrated to the United States in 1933. He worked as a professor at the New York School for Social Research for a period of ten years. Due to his remarkable academic skills and efforts New York schools became one of the top-notch schools of psychology in the beginning of the twentieth century. Mark Wertheimer, along with Kohler and Kofka, was one of the founding members of Gestalt psychology. Gestalt theory emphasized higher- order cognitive processes. The main focus of Gestalt theory was “grouping”. In learning opposed to the reductionism of behaviorism, Gestalt concentrates on the way in which the mind insists...
Words: 829 - Pages: 4
...Aspects of Psychology Unit 1 Individual Project By Harold Robinson III Abstract: In this assignment I will discuss three different perspectives of psychology. I will discuss how behaviorism, cognitive, and gestalt theories have affected the world as it is today. I will be using both opinionated statements as well as facts from a reputable resource. The paper is about the three unique and important perspectives taking in psychology behaviorism, cognitive, and gestalt theories. Behavioral Psychology is basically interested in how our behavior results from the stimuli both in the environment and within ourselves. They study, often in minute detail, the behaviors we exhibit while controlling for as many other variables as possible. Often a grueling process, but results have helped us learn a great deal about our behaviors, the effect our environment has on us, how we learn new behaviors, and what motivates us to change or remain the same. (Heffner,2001) An example of behaviorism would be how both •people and animals are able to adapt their behavior when new information is introduced, even if a previous behavior pattern has been established through reinforcement. Probably the most cited theory in the cognitive development in children is Jean Piaget (1896-1980). As with all stage theories, Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development maintains that children go through specific stages as their intellect and ability to see relationships matures. These stages are completed in a...
Words: 920 - Pages: 4
... there have been many people and innovations in the psychiatric world that have spurred from him. One of those innovations was the Gestalt Theory by Fredrick S. Perls. The background behind Perls and his theory, an analysis of what his theory was and what it did, and how it is still used today, is what is focused on in this paper. Fredrick S. Perls created the Gestalt Theory in the 1940’s and continued to have an influence on culture through the 1950’s. His main interests in existenalism and Eastern religions, and Gestalt psychology contradicted what his Freudian training had taught him, but in the end led him to his well-known Gestalt Theory. “Perls saw the human being as a unified organism, an integration of mental, physical, emotional. And sensory processes expressed in the present moment” (Irving B. & Craighead, 2010). A lot of Perls work had been influenced by Kurt Goldstein, a neurologist, Moreno’s social experimentation, field therapy by Kurt Lewin, and ideas derived from Zen (Gaie, 2003). His theory focused on the less shy and submissive idea of feelings and brought up the value of the client/patient dynamic and the effectiveness of facing the problem head on. Even though all the people and therapy’s listed above had an influence on Perls, he was able to mesh all of what he had learned together beautifully into his own. The Gestalt Theory that was created by Fredrick Perls is a theory that focuses on self-acceptance and taking responsibilities for one’s own actions...
Words: 1162 - Pages: 5
...Gestalt Psychology Reflection Paper PSY/310 Desirèe Ray 2/1/16 Melody Thompson The word Gestalt means a unified whole. Based on that understanding, Gestalt psychology looks at things as a whole versus in pieces or parts. The thoughts of Gestalt psychology is that we are processing the world around us, we don’t just focus on the small, seemingly insignificant things. Instead our mind perceive our surroundings as parts of a greater whole. The Gestalt psychology school played a major role in the study of human perception and sensation. The guiding idea behind Gestalt psychology is that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Gestalt psychology was found by 3 principle psychologists. Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler. Max Wertheimer initially studied law, but took an interest in perception after noticing flashing train lights at a train station gave the illusion of motion. From there he went on to change his focus from law to psychology. While at the University of Frankfurt's Psychological Institute, he began to work with two assistants named Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka. The three colleagues and would go on to form the school of thought known as Gestalt psychology. Thanks to his work during his time at the New School for Social Research in New York City, it became one of the leading schools of psychology during the early part of the twentieth century. Psychologist Solomon Asch wrote of Max Wertheimer the “thinking of Max Wertheimer has penetrated...
Words: 746 - Pages: 3
...Gestalt Psychology Reflection PSY 310 January 11, 2016 Sam Ivory Dr. Fine Gestalt psychology Reflection The school of thought is what Gestalt psychology theory is about. Gestalt believes that all things and scenes are observed in the simplest forms. Also known as the 'Law of Simplicity,' the meaning behind the theory is that the whole of an object or scene is more important than its individual parts. When you observe everything as a whole it allows us to us find order in disorder and unity among outwardly unrelated parts and pieces of information (Cherry, 2015). Gestalt theories have implications for education focusing more meaningful learning and true understanding of principles, over the traditional structured approaches based on memory and recall (King, Wertheimer, Keller & Crochetiere, 1994). Gestalt psychology gave a unique way on human perception. According to Gestalt psychologists, you don't just see the world; what you see, depending on what you are expecting to see. The reason behind Gestalt psychology is that it encourages people to 'think outside of the box' and to look for patterns. Another contribution to Gestalt psychology is the development of our senses is capable of visual recognition of things as a whole and not just simple line and curves (Schamber, 1986). However the breakdown of the mental process wasn’t done until it was in their smallest forms. The psychologist believed that behavior must be studied in all of its complexities instead...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...unning head: GESTALT PSYCHOLOGY Gestalt Psychology Theory Abstract The formation of the gestalt movement. The founding fathers of gestalt theory, Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Kohler and their focus in the movement. Gestalt therapy explained by the laws and the theory of personality. How the gestalt theory is in effect today. Gestalt Psychology Theory The three pioneers of the Gestalt Theory, Max Werthmeimer, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka. All three focused on different aspects that have continued to develop across multiple disciplines throughout the 2oth Century. Gestalt theory focused on the mind’s perceptive processes (Kearsley, 1998). The word gestalt has no direct translation into English, but “describes a configuration or form that is unified. A gestalt may refer to a figure or object that is different from the sum of its parts. Any attempt to explain the figure by analyzing its parts results in the loss of the figure’s gestalt” (Brennan, 2003). In simpler terms” A way a thing has been ‘placed’, or ‘put together’”; common translation includes “form” and “shape” (Myers, 1998). Zakia, 1997, described gestalt by saying,”…what you experience when you look at a picture is quite different from what you would experience if you were to look at each item that is in the picture separately”. Wertheimer was born in Prague in 1880 (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2001). He studied at the Universities of Prague, Berlin and Wurzburg, receiving...
Words: 4209 - Pages: 17
...importance of socializing opportunities. The prediction that extraverts would take more frequent studybreaks was supported in Sample 1 but not replicated in Sample 2. The data are interpreted as providing direct support for Eysenck's theory of behavioral differences and mixed indirect support for his theory of neurological differences between introverts and extraverts. Cognitive Theories The cognitive school is probably best defined by exclusion: if it ain't biological, behaviourist or humanist, it's cognitive (I'm including information-processing models here). It all starts with Gestalt theories [Wertheimer, Köhler and Koffka, and with only the vaguest connection with Gestalt therapy (Perls)]: originally theories of perception, interested in the way the brain imposes pattern on the perceived world, Gestalt moved into problem-solving learning. It is also much influenced by the developmental psychology of Piaget (but also read Donaldson (1984) if reading Piaget), focusing on the maturational factors affecting understanding. The accommodation/assimilation dialectic is the part most useful for understanding grown learners. Broadly, cognitive theory is interested in how people understand material, and thus in; aptitude and capacity to learn (thus fringing onto psychometrics and testing), and learning styles (the reference is to one of...
Words: 317 - Pages: 2
...Gestalt therapy allows the client to process what has happened in the past and bring awareness to what is happening in the present. A lot of my client issues stem from the past which is affecting her presently. My client has a lot of feeling that is suppressed and has never been dealt with properly. It is important that the clients gain awareness of who they are and who they are becoming. My client is trying to learn exactly who she is as an individual, a mother and a fiancé soon to be wife. Gestalt therapy have several techniques that my client will benefit from greatly. The empty chair technique will be a good exercise for my client. She has a lot of issues and feelings towards her mother from the past, that she never shared with her mother before. Using the empty chair technique will allow my client to express her feeling openly and help them to map out what they want to say to her mother if and when she decides to have that conversation. While in session I am hoping to bring awareness...
Words: 1907 - Pages: 8
...to best fit their personalities and cultural back grounds has become key to understanding the client. As a counselor you have to be able to find the best way to help others. As a counselor you have to look into everything surrounding the client not just the client themselves for a better understanding. “Therapy aims not at analysis or introspection but at awareness and contact with the environment” (Corey, 2009, p200). I have become drawn to Gestalt therapy and its focus on helping the client become more aware and improving a client’s interaction with themselves, others, and their environment. When it comes to counseling we try to find the unresolved issues that never seem to go away and linger in the back of our minds and effect how we do things. As these things sit over time they start it come up and connected to these unresolved issues. As a counselor I believe helping the client becoming aware of their immediate needs, gathering them and figuring out how to satisfy those needs is key. “One of the main contributions of the Gestalt approach is its emphasis on learning to appreciate and fully experience the present moment” (Corey, 2009,...
Words: 321 - Pages: 2
...Aaron Pomerleau Mr. Hiatt Psychology 3 April 2014 Is it true? Look at an optical illusion and you may think you're seeing things, such as a curved line that's actually straight, or a moving object that's standing still. You wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you. But you can’t help but thinking, could it be real? It's not all in your eyes. An illusion is proof that you don't always see what you think you do because of the way your brain and your entire visual system perceive and interpret an image. Visual illusions occur due to properties of the visual areas of the brain as they receive and process information. Your perception of an illusion has more to do with how your brain works and less to do with the optics of your eye. Everything that enters the senses needs to be interpreted through the brain, and these interpretations occasionally go wrong. Illusions, may serve as a test to determine whether scientists understand vision correctly. When light hits our retina in the eye, about one-tenth of a second goes by before the brain translates that into a visual perception of the world. Our brains compensate for this neural delay and so it attempts to generate an image of what it will perceive one-tenth of a second in the future. Optical illusions occur when what our brains predict does not match the reality. A better way to think of it is in order to compensate for this massive loss of information and provide us with visual perceptions that are rich in contrast...
Words: 636 - Pages: 3
...Gestalt Psychology Reflection April Cage Professor Katrina Ramos 3/16/15 INTRODUCTION Gestalt psychology means unified whole. The three main founders who established the school of gestalt psychology were Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka as well as Wolfgang Kohler. The foundations of the Gestalt psychology are perception, memory and learning. Some of the principles of Gestalt psychology are isomorphism, productive thinking as well as reproductive thinking. It refers to theories of visual perception developed by German psychologists in the 1920s. Instead of approaching psychology as atoms or elements according to Wundt’s theory, Gestalt psychology on the other hand, focuses on human experiencing psychological events as a whole. Reflection Max Wertheimer used to study law but his interest soon shifted to philosophy and psychology. He developed a keen interest on perception after observing how the flashing of lights at train station created an illusion of movement. He was at the University of Frankfurt where he worked with Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Kohler and the three of them established a school of thought known as Gestalt Psychology. He pursued perceptual ideas through his studies with chimpanzees as director of the Canary Island Anthropoid Station in 1913. He became an American citizen and finally became the president of the American Psychological Association in 1959. Kohler contributed substantial literature work to the field of...
Words: 682 - Pages: 3
...Gestalt Psychology Reflection Michael A. Perkins PSY310 January 26th, 2015 Dr. Shannon Kelly Gestalt Psychology Reflection The Gestalt psychology movement was fascinating within the time frame in which it started to develop. While other psychological movements strived to boil down psychology in almost simplistic, scientific terms, Gestalt psychology embraced complexities within the consciousness. Gestalt psychologists argued “that when we look out a window we really see trees and sky, not individual sensory elements such as brightness and hue” (Schultz & Schultz, 2011). There is more to what we experience and see that just the simple elements that make these things and experiences up. Gestalt psychology owes much of its beginnings to the philosophical work of Immanuel Kant (Schultz & Schultz, 2011). Kant believed that experiences were created not from association, but through the perception of those experiences (Schultz & Schultz, 2011). There is a certain level of individuality in this statement, as individual perception is not something that can be simply classified in a way that was satisfactory to a more scientific model. For me, seeing the color green immediately leads me to reflect upon my grandmother and my great deal of pleasant experiences and memories. My perception of the color green, therefore, is wholly distinct from a simplistic explanation of the hue or tone of the color. Another interesting influence of Gestalt psychology was physics professor...
Words: 635 - Pages: 3
