Holism in Gestalt Psychology and Gestalt Therapy
By Shea Stevens (last edited 6/25/23)
Holism is central to gestalt therapy; it summarizes the philosophical foundation on which gestalt therapy theory was built. Some holistic concepts have already been discussed in my posts on Field Theory and Polarities & Integration; it seems impossible to separate field theory from holism, and my article on field theory can provide a decent summary of this topic.
In this more lengthy post I will explore 1) the thinkers who influenced the holism of gestalt therapy theory, 2) holism’s various meanings, and 3) how holism is applied in psychotherapy.
Who Influenced the Gestalt Theorists’ Holistic Ideas?
The idea of holism was developed in Eastern philosophy long before Fritz and Laura Perls built a theory around it. Gestalt therapy theorists did study Eastern philosophy at some point, but from what I have read about the Perls’ timeline, this exposure came after their early gestalt theory writings. If this is correct, the Perls’ exposure to ideas on holism leading up to the theory’s founding came mainly from the following:
The Gestalt Psychologists in Germany:
Christian von Ehrenfels coined the term “gestalt,” which is a term for a whole figure that emerges into focus in one’s perception. Max Wertheimer, his student, was the primary founder of Gestalt theory / Gestalt psychology, who then worked with Kohler and Koffka to develop the theory. They took Ehrenfels’ concept of gestalt, his ideas on perception and the idea that the whole is different than the sum of its parts and developed them in the Berlin School of Gestalt Psychology and applied it to organisms; “the whole precedes the parts, and Gestalt formation is a primary characteristic of organismic functioning and also of the individual movement toward closure/satisfaction to return to a state of equilibrium.”
Kurt Lewin worked with gestalt psychologists in Berlin and he also associated with the Frankfurt School. He took the Gestalt model and applied it to people’s life experiences. He answered the question of how the gestalt is formed out of the field: his thesis was that the need organizes the perception of the field and the acting in the field. Lewin and his assistant Bluma Zeigarnik formulated the gestalt concept of unfinished business, and Lewin is also known for his equation for behavior: B = ƒ(P, E), behavior (B) is a function (f) of personal characteristics (P), and environmental characteristics (E).
Lewin “emphasized the dynamic inter-relatedness of the elements in a field.” Some of his work with the gestalt psychologists was known to the Perls while they were in Germany, but Lewin moved to the United States in 1933 where he continued to formulate his field theory, while the Perls did not move to the US until 1946, a year before he died. Lewin published “A Dynamic Theory of Personality” in 1935.
Kurt Goldstein was a neurologist and psychiatrist who, like Lewin, applied the concepts of the Gestalt psychologists to human beings. He closely collaborated with gestalt psychologist Adhemar Gelb in this research. Fritz Perls worked with Goldstein in Frankfurt, where he conducted research on brain damaged soldiers. Goldstein gave philosophical lectures with his students in Frankfurt, one of whom was Laura Perls.
Goldstein’s work “expanded Gestalt psychology as a study of perception to Gestalt psychology as a study of the whole person.” He worked with patients using a phenomenological method and a holistic, organismic perspective. His organismic theory had a strong influence on Fritz Perls. His ideas were pivotal not just for gestalt therapy’s development but for humanistic therapy in general.
Jan Smuts coined the english word “holism,” publishing his extensive work, Holism and Evolution in 1926. He was Prime Minister of South Africa while the Perls’ lived there, and chronologically Fritz Perls encountered Smuts after engaging the previous thinkers on this list. This is an article that speaks to the paradoxes of Smuts as a person, philosopher and political figure. But in this post I will just focus on his work, Holism and Evolution.
In Holism and Evolution, we see these ideas which were adapted by gestalt therapy theory: the idea that everything is of-a-field, that organisms are unintelligible if not considered in their field, that everything is in process, the concepts of introjection/assimilation, the interconnection of all things, and the interdependence of the organism and its environment (Robine, 1993). Smuts wrote about how “metabolism and assimilation are fundamental functions of all organic wholes,” which the Perls’ paid great attention to and which was quoted in Perls’ book, Ego, Hunger and Aggression. Fritz Perls attributed much importance to Smuts’ ideas on holism for the formation of gestalt therapy.
What Is Holism?
The english word “holism” was first coined by Smuts, but the ideas that holism encompasses have been developed in many places and time periods, some of which were long before and far away from him. For the purpose of this post, I offer this definition: Holism is the theory and practice of attending to the whole. Holism looks at how parts relate to other parts, holding in view the greater whole. Some forms of holistic philosophy, gestalt psychology and field theory might be considered part of the field of epistemology, asking how we know what we know, and how we relate to reality.
To roughly summarize the work of many philosophers and psychologists, I will list a few of the ideas of holism which center around the key concepts ‘whole’, ‘organism’, ‘field’, ‘self-regulation’, ‘parts’, ‘sum of its parts’, ‘gestalt’:
A whole is different than the sum of its parts. The whole determines the parts.
The field is one whole (see: field theory post).
The human person is one whole, one organism.
The organism is a whole systemic entity, not just a cluster of parts; rather, the various components of the organism are in process with each other, dynamically engaged in relation with the other parts.
Organisms engage in self-regulation.
The need of the organism influences how it perceives its field (see: gestalt formation, gestalt cycle).
The idea of yin and yang; the harmonious relationship and coexistence of differences/opposites rather than seeing them as a dichotomy (see: polarities post). The concept of “both/and”.
Holism, in its broadest application, is understanding that everything that exists is of-a-field, everything is interconnected and interrelated.
There is not just one way of adapting a holistic view. It can be applied in the small scale or large scale. And it can be applied using different perspectives; each person has their own lens through which they view things, their own unique ideas about how parts of their reality interact with other parts of reality. As one example, one person may incorporate spiritual concepts in their worldview in ways that differ from another person’s worldview.
Holism in the Context of Psychotherapy
Holism in psychotherapy informs how the therapist conceptualizes a client, the impact of a client’s environment, and how the therapist understands their own self and their world. Holism in therapy also means holding space for the “both/and”. Accepting all of the parts of the client.
Holism in therapy can be applied in the intrapersonal and interpersonal case conceptualization of a client. Intrapersonal: the dynamics of the person as an individual, a whole organism. Interpersonal: the client as an organism embedded in a larger field; a larger whole.
Intrapersonal Holism
Holism within the client as a person can mean different things. I think one main way it comes up is overcoming the temptation to isolate just one aspect, behavior, or “part” of the client as if it can be treated in isolation from the rest of their parts. So, often this plays out in the dichotomy of body and mind. A holistic approach looks at the person as a body/mind. Instead of separating body and mind, holism pays attention to how both operate, and thinks of them as interconnected and necessarily related parts of a whole person.
Related to this, holistic and humanistic thinkers, have often looked at people through “parallelism” (Kohler, 1929) which is the idea that there is an observable connection between what is observed phenomenologically (bodily) and what is happening in the observed person’s mind. That what is observed can tell us what is happening in the psyche. This kind of view sees the physical, the emotional, thoughts, all mental events, etc, all as expressions of a unified being, an individual. This ties in to the phenomenological approach which I write more about here.
Intrapersonal holism also means seeing the client’s conflicting behaviors, thoughts and feelings through the lens of parts; polarities that contrast with each other while also remaining in a close connection, that can harmoniously coexist, while containing multitudes. As a therapist working from a gestalt perspective I love to talk about parts.
Interpersonal/Environmental Holism
Holism in therapy through an interpersonal lens means seeing the client as a person embedded in their field. It means taking a bio-psycho-social(-spiritual) approach to client conceptualization. This also relates to the importance of acknowledging the role of oppression and injustice and systemic level factors that manifest in the life of individuals.
It means being field theoretical and seeing the client as constantly in process, dynamically relating to their changing environment. It means allowing for many different parts of the client’s field to be impacting and informing the client all at once. It means acknowledging that the client does not live in a vacuum; they cannot be considered apart from their situation; the client is responding and adapting to their very unique life situation in every moment.
References:
Barlow, Allen R. “Gestalt Therapy and Gestalt Psychology: Gestalt-Antecedent Influence or Historical Accident” in the Gestalt Journal (1981).
Dubow, Saul, “South Africa’s Racist Founding Father Was Also a Human Rights Pioneer”
Robine, Jean-Marie, “Le Holisme de J. C. Smuts” (1993)
Smuts, J.C. Holism and Evolution (1926)
Wulf, Rosemarie, “The Historical Roots of Gestalt Therapy Theory”
Yontef, Gary, Awareness, Dialogue and Process. p 136, 137, 152.