Gestalt Archive 1991-
Matthew Maibaum (1992) - A Lewinian Taxonomy of Psychiatric Disorders
Kurt LEWIN wrote briefly, but with considerable depth, about his conjectural ideas about mental disorder, termed ”Unreality”, and primarily from a developmental point of view. This paper, based upon this author‘s studies of LEWIN and his theorizing about the growth of levels of reality, and boundaries, will discuss some theorized bases of major mental disturbances as they would be explained, and explainable, according to Lewinian field theory. ..
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Abraham S. Luchins (1993) - On Being Wertheimer's Student
Abraham S. Luchins & Edith H. Luchins (1997) - A sampling of Gestalt psychologists' remarks on psychoanalysis
WERTHEIMER and other Gestalt psychologists at times made critical remarks about psychoanalysis in seminars at the New School. These remarks may have led Abraham MASLOW, who attended the seminars, to form the opinion, which will be cited more fully later, ...
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Abraham S. Luchins (1997) - On Schulte, Wertheimer, and Paranoia
With an excerpt from WERTHEIMERs Seminars and an additional comment
by Daniel J. Luchins
WERTHEIMER presented (in about 1936-1937) the case of a wounded delusional Russian Tartar - a prisoner of war - being treated in an Austrian Army hospital. He used the case to illustrate the role of the social field in producing psychopathological behavior.
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Hans-Jürgen Walter (1997) - Gestalt Theoretical Psychotherapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Familiarity with cognitive behaviour therapy, particularly the social cognitive approach, is widely assumed here. My paper is a part of a more comprehensive treatment of this theme in which my sister, Irene PAULS, wrote large parts of the section dealing with cognitive behaviour therapy. ..
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Hans-Jürgen Walter (1999) - What do Gestalt therapy and Gestalt theory have to do with each other?
The above question permits answers ranging from "absolutely nothing" to "they're basically the same thing". I have phrased it in that way because I suspect it is possible for the answers those present will give to cover the entire spectrum between these two poles.
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Abraham S. Luchins & Edith H. Luchins (1999) - Isomorphism in Gestalt Theory: Comparison of Wertheimer's and Köhler's Concepts
The term isomorphism literally means equality or sameness (iso) of form (morphism). In mathematics an isomorphism between two systems requires a one-to-one correspondence between their elements (that is, each element of one system corresponds to one and only one element of the other system, and conversely), which also preserves structures.
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Abraham S. Luchins & Edith H. Luchins (2000/2001) - Kurt Grelling - Steadfast Scholar in a Time of Madness
Kurt GRELLING was born on 2 March 1886. His father, the Doctor of Jurisprudence Richard GRELLING, and his mother, Margarethe (née SIMON), were Jewish. Although Kurt GRELLING may have been baptized, his Jewish origins and his socialist political views ended his teaching career after the Nazis took control in 1933.
Kurt Grelling Picture Gallery
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Fiorenza Toccafondi (2002) - Receptions, Readings and Interpretions fo Gestaltpsychologie
On reflection, we may become disorientated when following the image of Gestaltpsychologie in 20th century philosophical, epistemological, psychological and history of science literature. Gestaltpsychologie interpretations are varied, and at times diametrically opposed. We may find innatist, empiristic and idealistic interpretations. According to other readings, the Gestalt perspective was characterised by determinism, reductionism, cryptorealism and by a debasement of the subject's role. Moreover, we may come across strained interpretations, accentuated to various degrees, with generic or metaphoric references and - in some cases - even historically incorrect. The aim of this essay is to offer a minimum selection, but sufficiently representative of the most significant transfigurations undergone by the Gestaltpsychologie of WERTHEIMER, KÖHLER and KOFFKA.
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Mario Zanforlin (2004) - Gestalt Theory in Italy - Is it Still Alive ?
At interational level Gestalt theory in Italy appears to have disappeared after the death of its most influential followers F.METELLI and G.KANIZSA.To show that this is not true and as evidence that Gestalt theory is still alive in Italy, more than twenty papers were presented at a meeting held last February in Padua entitled "Recent developments of Gestalt theory in Italy ".
In considering why young researchers today do not appear to call themselves Gestaltists, two main factors are suggested:
1) the changes in institutional organization that has transferred "academic power "over publications from the Directors of the Institute to "international referees "of non Gestalt orientation;
2) the internal debate among Gestalt oriented researchers,"descendants "of METELLI and KANIZSA, that has led some of them to prefer the term "Experimental Phenomenology". From their writings it emerges that they seem to be closer to WERTHEIMER's position rather than KÖHLER's. They consider KÖHLER ' physiology and phenomenology as two independent sciences and are not interested in physiology. But there are also those who believe that it is possible to demonstrate a parallel between isomorphic physiological processes and phenomena.
In any case, leaving aside individual differences, all the young researchers use Gestalt concepts and phenomenological methods of investigation. Gestalt is still the main theory of reference for many young researchers and if it does not appear so evident from abroad, this is simply because, often, they do not discuss the general theoretical implications of their experimental results.
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Find full text articles published in the international journal Gestalt Theory in the early period 1979-2008 in the Gestalt Theory Early Archives