what is gestalt?

Question

Describe the Gestalt principles of proximity, similarity, continuity, and closure.

Answer 1

Gestalt is a German word that can be translated into English in various ways:

as shape, form, guise or likeness (e.g., in Menschengestalt: in human form)
as figure or as a synonym for person (e.g., eine dunkle Gestalt: a sinister figure)
Gestalt may also refer to:

Gestalt psychology (or Gestalt theory), a theory of mind and brain, describing the Gestalt effect.
Gestalt Theoretical Psychotherapy, a method of psychotherapy based on Gestalt psychology.
Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy built on the experiential ideal of "here and now" and relationships with others and the world.
Gestalt (Mac OS), an environment-query function

Answer 2

First Gestalt is a psychology.
Second Gestalt is a therapy.
Gestalt psychology is concerned with how we see things as part of a complete picture rather than as individual things themselves. Examples are how when we are shown just parts of a picture we fill in the parts and see something we have seen previously. There are some
pictures that you will see as a beautiful woman sometimes and as an old woman sometimes and you cannot see them both at the same time.
Each complete picture is called a gestalt. The same parts can make different gestalts.
Gestalt psychology is a key to how we think.
Gestalt psychology is deeply concerned with projection.
Open gestalts represent an unsolved problem.
Closed gestalts are a solved problem.
Open gestalts cause us to unconsciously look for missing pieces for closure.



Projection
"All of our neurotic distortion is in our projections".
Fredrick Perles
Father of Gestalt Therapy
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"One can see only what is already in the mind".
Alphonse Bertillon
Famous French Detective.
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It has been said that projection is always a defense
mechanism and has no useful purpose in our lives.
Cerainly one is entitled to their own definition
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In Gestalt Psychology projection is the means that
we recognize something when we see it a second time
whether seen from the same of from a different angle.
When we see something the first time we have no mental
image to compare it to. It is foreign to us unless
we use our creative imagination to alter it to match an
image already in the mind. In doing so we project an image
already in the mind on it and make a comparison.
It is this creativity that gets us into trouble.
When our intelligence fails us we resort to an infra-
creativity or infra-ego that is creativity under
duress. Terror and despair bring out the infra-ego.
Our associations become unsane and bizarre.
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Since the only way we identify things is by projection,
when we have objectionable, confused, or self-defeating
feelings about someone the first thing to ask oneself
is "What am I projecting on this person?"
Is it a feeling of mine that I deny?
Is it a feeling from my past that I haven't dealt with?
Is it some human potential of mine that I deny?
Is it someone from my past?
Is this really the person who belongs to the image or
symbol I am projecting?
Is this person my crutch that I am terrified of discarding
and has this crutch become a fixation that I am defensive
about. Have I crutches to support my crutch?
Do I sometimes project different images on this person.
Sometimes power, sometimes weakness? Sometimes identification?
Sometimes the enemy?
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Once removed, the crutch will leave a hole in our personality
and we must fill it with the potential that we have now
but didn't have as a child or fill in the hole with
atrophied human potential which now needs to be nurtured
and exercised.
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Sometimes from being told and sometimes from painful
experience we learn not to make decisions when we are
emotional, especially when angry. We know that emotions
can displace our intelligence. This certainly limits
our free choice. It is obvious to me that it displaces
our free will.


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The above is about how we see things and how our
mind always distorts what we see.
If the mind is looking for something it will try
to distort all objects to make them fit what we
are looking for.
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Without this creativity we would never recognize
something when we see it from a different angle.
The point is that we usually see what we are
looking for. If we are looking for good we will
probably only see the good. If we are looking
for bad we will probably only see bad. If we
are looking for someone to dump on we will see
the justification to attack.
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Projection describes how we put symbols
and images, in the mind, on the objects around us
and sometimes on the outcome of situations.
With a fixed attitude we are limited to seeing
only certain things.
If an attitude is negative then the mind can
can adjust and make it a self-fulfilling-prophesy.
Likewise with a positive attitude. Not that a
positive attitude is a cure but it opens up
possibilities that otherwise that we cannot
no-way see.
-
A positive attitude goes far beyond being a
religious matter. It goes toward being able
to see more of the real world.

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Reowning Projections.
The results of this technique will reflect
what is going on with you currently. It
may not reflect what was going on with you
when you wanted to act out or did act out.
Chances are that it will relate to the past
though.
You can experiment with this technique but
best done with an experienced professional.
Sit in a chair, close your eyes and in your
mind become the person involved with your
deviation. Describe what, in your mind,
this person is like, what they feel and
what they feel when you interact with them.
I should say, "Describe what you, as this
this person, experience and feel." Say,
"Now I feel this..." "I am like this."
"I have this weakness..." "I feel this
about John Doe..." (You are John Doe)
I can't say what your mind will zero in
on. It might take time. I can only
give you a start on what to experience
as you do this. You may have many
different "Ah Ha!" experiences as you
do this.
Think and stay with this for several minutes.
Now see how much of what you see in them
pertains to you. The more you do this the
more you will see how your projections
on them are distorted. The more your
fantasy will lose its' power and
disillusion.

Answer 3

Has two meanings - one is a type of psychotherapy, I don't remember the details, but it involves a penetrating confrontation with issues and an AHA moment.

The other meaning is just the AHA moment - can be used in everyday speech. It means a sudden, complete insight.

Answer 4

See links in wikipedia.

Answer 5

People already said it, but you really should check Wikipedia for that sort of questions. Don't be a lazy bum. Besides, this is psychology. What is this doing here?

Answer 6

There are lots of people who would make fun of the possibility of altering their destinies. This is due to the fact that it believes that no one gets more that what is put in his fate.