ABSTRACT
Gestalt takes a needs-based approach to understanding human functioning and behaviour. Kurt Lewin’s ( 1952 BIB-020 ) research demonstrated that our needs, and the tensions that arise out of them, influence both what we perceive and what we act on. Our perceptual process is not random; it is structured and contains meaning. Certain things stand out at any given time for a reason. Lewin captured the essence of this in the following way: emerging needs (figures, in Gestalt language) organise our perception of the field and our engagement within it. We see what we need to see and what is both important and relevant to us at the time – this is one of Gestalt’s core organising principles.
