Gestalt psychology

As a Gestalt psychology a direction within psychology is known that describes the human perception as the ability to identify structures and organizing principles in sensory impressions. The word " Gestalt psychology " can only partly be considered as clearly definable scientific term; it is partly a grown organically through its use name for a number of similar views. The shape psychologies different directions are derived, however, from a single work from 1890 here, in which the philosopher Christian von Ehrenfels reported his knowledge, perception contains qualities that do not result from the arrangement of simple sense qualities. So the melody is such a shape quality, because the sounds as elements of the melody could be replaced by quite a different sound, and it would still be the same tune, if only the positional relationship between the tones would be retained.

Classical Gestalt psychology

Berlin School of Gestalt psychology ( Gestalt theory )

Based on the observations v. honor rock ' dates from the early 20th century, the " Gestalt psychology " as a new psychological direction. It was first in German, then in the International Space influential. Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Köhler and Kurt Koffka: As its founder and major exponent three students of Carl Stumpf apply. In a broader sense, it can also Kurt Lewin this group are attributed. This " Berlin school of Gestalt psychology " also called himself " Gestalt theory " and expanded its object beyond perception. It is primarily their extensive experimental research in the field of perception become due to known and famous and is still represented the beginning of the 21st century. There are three types of Gestalt qualities of the perceptual experience differed ( Metzger 1954, p 62-65 ), without specifying a classification within these types:

• Structure ( structure, tectonics ) as straight, round, symmetrical, closed, pointed, wavy;
• Full specification as transparent, luminous, rough, yellow;
• "Essence" such as character, habit, emotional value.

In the older Gestalt psychology from the beginning of the 20th century "Gestalt law" interchangeably, "law" or with "Grouping Act " is used with " form factor ", " factor ". A form of law refers to the nature of the concentration of experienced parts to an experienced wholeness, often next to a group of individual circumstances. "The merger is effected such that the resulting whole are excellent structural, in any way before other possible classifications ," inter alia as such, " that as simple, uniform, ... closed ... symmetrical ... Quite similar structures arise " (Wolfgang Metzger 1954, p 108 f). For this and some other species of the merger many illustrative examples have been gathered that convince the viewer directly. Certain facts have been classified so that one can speak of a descriptive theory; an explanatory theory, it was, however, not developed.

Gestalt laws

In addition to these laws formulated by Wertheimer was Stephen Palmer in the 1990s, three more gestalt laws.

Leipzig School of Gestalt psychology ( Genetic wholeness Psychology )

The philosopher Felix Krueger and psychologist Friedrich Sander created the so-called " Second Leipzig School " of Gestalt psychology. For the peculiarity of this school of intense focus on the human motion in the research approach is one headed by Otto Klemm. While the Berlin School of the opinion of the Erlebensimmanenz represented, emerge after the experiences of experiences, were the Leipzig think experiences are due erlebensjenseitige circumstances. They sat down at a range transphenomenal psychic being, whom they called " structure ". More specific embodiments of this assumption did not exist; known are the general remarks on the " problem of the psychic being " by Albert Wellek. It is particularly problematic that Sander took the Gestalt laws postulated by him, in an ideologically overloaded context for the propagation of Nazi ideology. The postulated by him tendency to "good shape " was not only a universal tendency to eliminate by his writings " gestalt foreign" from the personal perception. Rather, the postulated form of Sander closure was there a quasi-natural given phenomenon, where about the "good form " of the German - Aryan people everything " gestalt foreign" (such as Jews, communists, homosexuals, etc.) tended to kill. Thus Friedrich Sander supports the " elimination of parasitic proliferating Judaism " and the forced sterilization of Germans with " inferior genetic material " as prints of a " will to form pure German character " ( National Socialist Education, 1937).

Sander ( and his institute ) has been known to investigations of visual actual genesis, which consisted in a progressive differentiation of the percept with continuous stimulus increase. Neither Krueger nor Sander tried to assign the sequence of the resulting shape qualities any conditional structural conditions. Both the actual genetic research approach and the structure theory are fallen into oblivion and be in the ' mainstream ' is no longer discussed.

Only the work Otto Klemm (1884-1939) and his staff and doctoral students to human motor could keep in scientific discourse to the present day and are quoted with a continuous continuity in the work and movement science. Although they are based on the ideas of wholeness psychology, but abstain largely of irrational excesses and ideological making available as part of National Socialism. The findings and the extremely careful and exemplary for its time methodology claim validity today.

In addition, work Felix Krueger learn after 1945 a long time without significant reverberations in psychology, currently a hesitant re-evaluation in the context of psychotherapeutic practice. In particular, his remarks on the theory of feeling and its emphasis on holism in this context are quite attractive concepts of healing work on and with the people.

Wurzburg school of Gestalt psychology

These include Oswald Külpe, Narcissus Oh, Karl Bühler, Karl Marbe.

Grazer or Austrian school of Gestalt psychology

Philosophical background: Franz Brentano. Significant representatives were: Alexius Meinong and especially Vittorio Benussi - on the back the development of the polygraph and the general experimental psychological research, the methods of suggestion and hypnosis opened up - and Stephan Witasek and Christian rock of honor.

Swiss psychologist and Gestalt psychology

Richard Meili, the successor to Jean Piaget at the Institute JJ Rousseau in Geneva, combined with his knowledge of German, French and English-language research, the basic ideas of Gestalt psychology with the concept of factor analysis. It defines the essential points of Gestalt psychology as follows:

• Mental processes take place in a complex, open system in which each subsystem is influenced by higher-level, more comprehensive systems.
• A system is a dynamic whole, is determined by the each other, the parts.
• The dynamics of the mental health system is characterized by a tendency to excellent conditions, ie to structures with balanced dynamic relationships.

Of particular importance to the cognitive processes of humans is the principle of the " primacy of the whole ." An important factor intelligence, plasticity, therefore, refers to the ability to " restructure" problem situations, so - according to Karl Duncker - to overcome functional fixedness.

One of his students, Hans -Werner Hunziker, who later ( on this concept, constructive) a series of training programs created on a PC basis and documented by research.