Light

Gestalt Psychology

Definition

Gestalt Psychology is a school of psychology based upon the idea that we experience things as unified wholes. This approach to psychology emerged in Germany in the early 20th century as an alternative to the traditional structuralist approach.

Analogy

Imagine you're looking at a painting. Instead of focusing on each individual brush stroke (like structuralism might), Gestalt Psychology would have you appreciate the entire painting as a whole, understanding that the sum is different than its parts.

Related terms

Perception: The process of recognizing and interpreting sensory stimuli.

Figure-Ground Relationship: A type of perceptual grouping which is a vital necessity for recognizing objects through vision. In Gestalt psychology it's known as identifying a figure from the background.

Closure: A principle in Gestalt psychology that identifies the human tendency to see complete figures even when part of the information is missing.