Gestalt school of thought viewed human behaviour and mind as a complete whole. The term Gestalt means totality, Structure, Figure or Unity. Gestalt school of thought came into inception during early 20th century in Germany in the famous work of “The Attributes of Form” by the Australian Philosopher Christian von Ehrenfels. Gestalt psychology is based on the principle that “The whole is different than the sum of its parts”. This study has major contributions in explaining the complex processes of perception and sensation, with major emphasis on the fact that human minds perceive objects or make sense of the world around them by viewing things in totality or from a holistic perspective. Show
History of Gestalt PsychologyGestalt psychology originated in the works of Max Wertheimer which was in response to the structuralism approach propounded by Wilhelm Wundt. The gestalt psychologists analyzed the behaviour pattern and mind in totality. Wundt, on the other hand, considered the psychological parameters in parts. Let’s analyze the major contributions of these Gestalt psychologists on a one by one basis: Max Wertheimer: He is one of the three founding members of Gestalt school of thought and is famous for his phi phenomenon concept, which involved perceiving still images in rapid succession which created illusion about movement. Kurt Koffka: As one of the key founding members of Gestalt psychology, he researched on diverse topics related to the field of psychology with focus on perception, learning and hearing disabilities. Wolfgang Kohler: As one of the crucial founding members of Gestalt school of thought, it was he who explained the Gestalt theory in a nutshell by describing that “The whole is different than the sum of its parts”. He was known for his research insights on problem solving. Characteristics of Gestalt Theory
Gestalt Laws of Perceptual OrganizationThe Gestalt psychologists have attempted to explain various laws of perception like laws of Pragnanz, Similarity, Proximity, Closure and Continuity. Their belief that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts has resulted in the discovery of various processes or phenomena that take place during perception. The Gestalt psychology equally stressed on the fact that perception is not all about how we interpret the worldly events by seeing the realities, but what we actually perceive is under the influence of our expectations and motivation. Applications of Gestalt Theory
Strengths and Limitations of Gestalt ApproachOne of the greatest strengths of this approach is its applicability in the day to day life and simplicity of its ideas. The theory provides us a better understanding on how we interpret and perceive the realities or make sense of the world around us in the light of perception. Moreover, their suggestions on creative problem solving and productive thinking and the inputs shared by them in Gestalt therapies related to promoting personal growth are true value additions. However, the Gestalt theory is also not free from various criticisms. The theory has been criticized for being too individualistic, which may encourage selfish behaviour on the part of the individuals. They give more importance to understanding oneself first before understanding others. Secondly, some of the critics considered the laws of perceptual organization to be unscientific, ambiguous and vague lacking practical relevance. What psychological perspective is holistic?Social psychology tends to take a holistic approach since it considers individuals in their social context. In particular, this branch of psychology looks at how group behavior is often different than individual behavior, which is a good example of emergent properties and the sum being more than its parts.
Is humanistic approach holistic?Humanistic psychology also advocates a holistic approach, as it argues that humans react to stimuli as an organised whole, rather than a set of stimulus-response links. As an approach, it uses qualitative methods to investigate all aspects of the individual, as well as the interactions between people.
What is holistic perspective in philosophy?holism, In the philosophy of the social sciences, the view that denies that all large-scale social events and conditions are ultimately explicable in terms of the individuals who participated in, enjoyed, or suffered them.
Is the behaviourist approach reductionist or holistic?Holism Vs reductionism
The behaviorist approach and social learning are reductionist; they isolate parts of complex behaviors to study. The behaviorists take the view that all behavior, no matter how complex, can be broken down into the fundamental processes of conditioning.
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