ABSTRACT
Gestalt therapy did not appear overnight. It is an integration of different philosophies that pre-dates gestalt therapy’s birth being Gestalt psychology that began with studies of perception early in the twentieth century. The gestalt psychologists, who included Max Wertheimer, Wolfgang Kohler and Kurt Koffka, originated in Germany and researched common patterns in the way in which we perceive. Their initial work placed an emphasis on visual perceptual organisation and they developed the following ‘laws of perception’:
The Law of Closure – We make sense of images by closing any gaps that may be missing in order to complete a regular figure. In Figures 4.1 and 4.2 the gaps are filled to complete the images of a circle and a horse with rider.
The Law of Continuity – We perceive things as continuing even though this may not literally be what is evident; another element in perceiving Figures 4.1 and 4.2.
The Law of Similarity – Similar elements or patterns are grouped together. The similarity might be form, colour or shape in a diagrammatic example. In Figure 4.3 we tend to group the images together in columns rather than in rows.
The Law of Proximity – Elements will be grouped in relation to proximity; consequently in Figure 4.4 we tend to see four rows rather than four columns.
The Law of Symmetry – We perceive symmetrical images as belonging together regardless of their distance. We tend 13to perceive things as formed around a central point in seeking balance.
