What are the basic principles of Gestalt psychology, and why was it important in the early life of psychology?

Psychology developed in the U.S. from several different perspectives; the first was the University Standard acquisition of viewpoints from European perspectives. Gestalt psychology is based on understanding the whole behavioral phenomenon instead of analyzing the individual components of behavior. Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory initially developed by Sigmund Freud through inductive reasoning and qualitative analysis of case studies. Quantitative scientific support for psychoanalysis has historically been lacking. Sigmund Freud spent much of his life developing a viewpoint of consciousness through his work in treating individuals with mental illness. American views of psychology emerged as a unique viewpoint; people like William James, John Dewey and James Cattell provided their own perspectives on psychology. Humanistic psychology also emerged as a school of psychology in part as a reaction to psychoanalysis and Behaviorism (we will cover in Week 5).

• What are the basic principles of Gestalt psychology, and why was it important in the early life of psychology? What areas do you think were the Gestalt principles and avenues of research best suited for in modern psychology? In your opinion, is there a place for Gestalt psychology in current psychological research and application? Why?
• From a scientific perspective, psychoanalysis or psychodynamic views have very little validity. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Justify your answer. Why did Freudian psychoanalysis have such a seemingly dominant influence, not on U.S. psychology development, but on popular culture?
• How did the perspectives of empiricism and structuralism lead to the development of American functionalism? Does American functionalism differ significantly from its European heritage? Why?
• Describe the main factors of humanistic psychology. Compare and contrast their views with those of their contemporaries, such as psychoanalytic. In terms of application, what would make humanistic psychology appealing?Student 2 week 4

  Amber Jackson posted Dec 4, 2021 4:52 PM

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  Discussion Week 4

  · What are the basic principles of Gestalt psychology, and why was it important in the early life of psychology? What areas do you think were the Gestalt principles and avenues of research best suited for in modern psychology? In your opinion, is there a place for Gestalt psychology in current psychological research and application? Why?

  Gestalt psychology is a school of thought that looks at everything as a whole (holism). It brings everything together and gives awareness by being present and experiencing life. It makes sense to see things as a whole and not broken up.

  The basic principles of Gestalt Psychology are law of similarity and proximity because individuals tend to group objects that are the same and that are close to each other. Law of closure we tend to close objects that are not complete or together. Law of Continuity because we tend to follow objects with a visual line until it is interrupted. Figure and Ground is the most powerful because we tend to separate the object from the background. The object being the figure and the ground being the background. Law of Pragnanz is when an individual sees something abstract, they look at it in simplest form.

  Gestalt Psychology was important for early life psychology because holism looks at the mind as a whole and not broken up. “Consider the human brain, for example. The brain contains millions of neurons, but just looking at each individual neuron will not tell you what the brain can do. It is only by looking at the brain holistically, by looking at how all the pieces work together, that you can see how messages are transmitted, how memories are stored, and how decisions are made” (Cherry, K. 2020). In modern psychology Gestalt principles would be best suited when looking at behavior because psychologist can look at the whole individual and see how different elements work together to impact the behavior. Gestalt principles could be used when looking at groups of people because psychologist can look at the whole group and the influences that impact the group.

  In my opinion there is a place for Gestalt psychology in current psychological research because the whole study can be looked at and not just pieces of it. Looking at the whole study will give a better result. Research can look at different functions of the study to get the whole picture.

  · From a scientific perspective, psychoanalysis or psychodynamic views have very little validity. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Justify your answer. Why did Freudian psychoanalysis have such a seemingly dominant influence, not on U.S. psychology development, but on popular culture?

  Psychoanalysis and psychodynamic examines the unconscious thoughts and emotions. Scientific perspective is a close representation. I disagree hat scientific perspective psychoanalysis or psychodynamic views have little validity this is because the unconscious is important in comprehending why individuals behave the way they do and do the things they do. The unconscious has been influential on pop culture because through the normative unconscious process individuals conform to the social norms. When a behavior is repeated it becomes an unconscious behavior. Social norms are forever changing and through the unconscious individuals know how to adapt to changes in society.

  · How did the perspectives of empiricism and structuralism lead to the development of American functionalism? Does American functionalism differ significantly from its European heritage? Why?

  Empiricism believes the mind is a blank slate and gains its knowledge through experiences. Structuralism came about from empiricism. Structuralism is understanding the structure of the unconscious. Functionalism was a replacement for structuralism because it looked at the function of the unconscious. It wanted to understand what the conscious would allow an individual to do. Functionalism focuses on how the mind changes in different environments. Empiricism and structuralism influenced the development of functionalism to view mental processes more precise. European heritage of functionalism looked at the mental processes of animals and humans and used the evolutionary structure. “During the stage of U.S. functionalism, science, concern for practicality, emphasis on the individual, and evolutionary theory combined into the school of functionalism” (Hergenhahn & Henley. 2013. Pg. 322).

  · Describe the main factors of humanistic psychology. Compare and contrast their views with those of their contemporaries, such as psychoanalytic. In terms of application, what would make humanistic psychology appealing?

  Humanistic looks at the whole individual. Its focus is the mind, body, and the spirit. Humanistic approach wants individuals to focus on their growth by striving to reach their fullest potential. “Humanistic psychology is a perspective that emphasizes looking at the whole individual and stresses concepts such as free will, self-efficacy, and self-actualization” (Cherry, K. 2020). Humanistic and psychoanalytic views are similar in that they both believe that humans are born with natural needs and desires. They are vastly different in that humanistic view wants growth, and psychoanalytic views are about bringing what is in the unconscious to the conscious. Humanistic looks at the whole individual and focuses on the self and how one can reach their fullest potential whereas psychoanalytic focuses on unconscious conflict. In terms of application, what would make humanistic psychology appealing is the focus on oneself and focusing on the positives. Also, helping individuals reach their fullest potential by teaching them how to love themselves.

  References

  Cherry, K. (2020 April 19). What Is Holism? How psychologists use holism to understand behavior. Very Well Mind.

  https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-holism-4685432

  Cherry, K. (2020 July 20). What Is Humanism? Very Well Mind.

  https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-humanistic-psychology-2795242

  Hergenhahn B. R., & Henley T. (2013). An Introduction to the History of Psychology. [South University].

  https://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9781285821078/