The Theory of the Self

A theory, in fact, neither explains nor represents "reality"; a theory is an organized, methodical, intellectual construction. Gestalt Therapy has taken the fundamental human function into consideration. In 1951, Perls, Hefferline and Goodman proposed to divide each experience in four main time frames, organized around the notion of contact: forecontact, contacting, full contact and post-contact. Most Gestalt authors have already substantially developed the necessity of a time of forecontact. This allows the time for a need, a desire, a project or a situation to appear. In order to be enriching, a meeting needs to be preceded by some informal exchange; making love implies time to let the desire mount, followed by the preliminaries. The Theory of the Self will help one to clarify his/her own ways of functioning, mentally and socially, to identify his/her own contact disturbances, to "clear up" and rid himself/herself of unconscious, out-dated habits, to continually readjust his/her own self-image.