Gestalt: A perspective of our perception and how Gestalt Theory can help us shape our experience
- 2018
“I do what I do and you do what you do. I am not in this world to achieve your expectations in the same way that you are not to achieve mine. You are you and I am me, and if we were to meet, it would be wonderful. If not, nothing can be done. ”
Fritz Perls
Human beings are complex beings . We have the ability to absorb information from the world in a way that we cannot explain . Through the ages, psychology has tried to find the meaning of this mental process. However, the approaches with which he has faced this matter are very different . Now, nobody can determine which approach is correct and which is not. Although we do have the possibility of combining different perspectives to try to elaborate more complete and comprehensive explanations .
Taking this as a starting point, Gestalt therapy gives us its interesting holistic approach to our psychology. And it helps us position ourselves as active agents capable of deciding on our world experience.
What is Gestalt
Gestalt theory is a decisive branch in the history of psychology. Born in Germany at the beginning of the s. XX. Christian von Ehrenfels, an Austrian philosopher, gave the name of this movement in his work " Attributes of form ." While there is no literal word to translate the term Gestalt, it is usually translated as "figure" or " form . " In psychology you can also acquire the connotations of " pattern " or " configuration ."
All people are then assimilating reality and making our decisions based on these forms that we perceive all the time.
The main motto of the Gestalt is that the whole is more than the sum of its parts . Well, he argues that the person cannot be understood by analyzing their behavior separately.
This new approach proposed an alternative to the dominant psychological paradigms and made great contributions to cognitive psychology.
Gestalt theory
Gestalt psychology takes as predecessors philosophers such as Kant, Descartes and Husserl . These are the ones who develop the bases on which this current will be built.
The main area of study of Gestalt is perception . It focuses especially on pursuing natural and simple explanations that could be adapted to our way of perceiving reality. Through perceptions, we are able to acquire knowledge of the world, interact with it and connect with others.
The Gestalt sees people as a unit, a whole being. He maintains that we cannot explore the dimensions that shape the individual separately, since the complexity of the human mind cannot be reduced . The relationships between the elements of reality and knowledge are dynamic and particular for each person. Therefore, we do not perceive the world universally, but each one has his or her only perception of the world.
Even so, our ability to perceive is affected by conditions that are common to all. They are called Gestalt Laws .
The laws of Gestalt
The laws of Gestalt or laws of perception are natural conditions of association when perceiving, and they speak to us of our ability to adapt our experience of reality. Some of the most relevant are:
- Principle of Structure : A form is perceived as a whole, regardless of the parts that constitute it.
- Contrast Principle (Figure-Background) : A form is better perceived, to the extent that the contrast between the background and the form is larger.
- Closing Principle : The simpler it will be a form, the better closed its contour. If an outline is not completely closed, the brain tends to close it.
- Principle of Good Form (Pregnance) : It allows us to reduce distortions or ambiguities in search of finding the simplest way possible, allowing us to see the elements as meaningful and coherent units.
- Principle of Proximity : Isolated elements, but with some closeness tend to be considered as groups.
- Principle of Memory : The forms are all the better perceived the higher the number of times we have seen them before.
- Principle of Hierarchization : A complex way will be so much easier to perceive as the perception is better oriented (hierarchical): from the main to the accessory.
- Principle of Symmetry : Two parts located symmetrically one of the other will be perceived as a unit.
- Principle of Continuity : Elements oriented in the same direction tend to be organized in a certain way.
Gestalt Theory: Application
We get to the interesting part of the article. It is known that the Gestalt approach is very useful to progress and establish personal growth.
How does Gestalt influence our life ?
In problem solving, gestures believe that each situation is composed of small details that interact with each other. Thus, it is proposed to reorganize these components to change the perspective of the situation and find alternatives.
For this he proposes that there are two types of thinking . A reproductive one that applies prior knowledge about the situation in a practically mechanical way. And another productive that creatively reorganizes the elements that make up the problem to find new ways to solve it. The latter is what Gestalt promotes.
It is also said that this therapy has similarities with Buddhism, since it also focuses on developing attention and awareness .
He urges us to live here and now without pretending to be something we are not, to grow personally and achieve a clear identity.
What can Gestalt theory give us?
We can apply all this theory to our daily life. The great advantages of the gestalt theory are its application to all everyday fields and the simplicity of its approach.
She helps us better understand how we process and interpret reality . Therefore, it can support us in daily challenges, enabling us to be more creative and organized to achieve our goals.
If we understand that our perception has been distorted by psychological conditions, we can look for another way to assimilate our experiences to promote our personal growth.
In this way, Gestalt is presented as another tool to reprogram our life experience . It helps us to be responsible for the reality that we perceive as active agents of it.
We will have to understand that our experience is like a set of subjective perceptions of reality.
That way, we take life into our hands and acquire the power to shape it.
You can also accept that challenge.
And live the life you deserve.
AUTHOR: Lucas, editor in the big family of hermandadblanca.org
SOURCES:
- https://www.uv.es/asamar4/exelearning/21_las_leyes_de_la_gestalt.html
- https://blog.cognifit.com/gestalt-theory/
- https://www.britannica.com/science/Gestalt-psychology
