The theory in psychology that the objects of the mind come as wholes which cannot be split into parts and which are unanalyzable.
School of psychology that maintains that the mind perceives integrated wholes, not discrete parts; for example, that a triangle is perceived as a triangle, not as three lines. In Gestaltism, behavior is seen as an integrated response to a situation, not as a series of sensations and reflexes. Also called Gestalt psychology.
A school of psychology that regards mental processes as wholes (gestalts) that cannot be broken down into constituent parts. From this was developed gestalt therapy, which aims at achieving a suitable gestalt within the patient that includes all facets of functioning.
A school of psychology based on the concept that an individual’s sense of wholeness is more valuable than a piecemeal approach to perception and behaviour. Founded in Germany early in the 20th century, the school’s practitioners regarded the whole as more than a sum of its parts. Aimed at resolving personal problems, the therapy increased subjects’ self-awareness of all aspects of themselves in their environment.