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Gestalt Therapy
Stephen G. Zahm and Eva K. Gold
Pacific University School of Professional Psychology, Forest Grove, Oregon, USA,
and Gestalt Therapy Training Center–Northwest, Portland, Oregon, USA
1. Description of Treatment
2. Theoretical Bases
3. Applications and Exclusions
4. Empirical Studies
5. Case Illustration
6. Conclusion
Further Reading
GLOSSARY
background As distinguished from figure or foreground, that
which is not uppermost in awareness; provides the context
and is the source from which figures emerge and become
prominent in awareness.
closure The result of the natural movement toward the com-
pletion of perceptual or experiential units.
contact The experience at the self/environment boundary
that leads to assimilation and growth. Good quality con-
tact involves awareness and excitement.
contact boundary The dynamic relationship at the meeting
point of self/other or self/environment; where experience
occurs, and the focus of therapeutic intervention.
creative adjustment A person’s best adaptation to dealing
with feelings and needs in response to environmental
inadequacy in meeting the needs or competing environ-
mental requirements.
figure What stands out from the background as a focus of
interest and attention; generally related to a need or desire.
figure formation/destruction process The process whereby a
figure of interest emerges, becomes a focus of attention, and
is acted upon, resulting in the dissolving of that figure.
Encyclopedia of Applied Psychology,
VOLUME 2
foreground As distinguished from background, that aspect of
experience that is the focus of attention at any given point.
gestalt A German word that has no direct translation in
English. ‘‘Configuration,’’ ‘‘structure,’’ and ‘‘whole’’ are used
as translations, but none of these capture the complete mean-
ing. ‘‘Figure’’ and ‘‘gestalt’’ are often used interchangeably.
organismic self-regulation The process whereby homeostasis
is maintained via the figure formation/destruction process.
Gestalt therapy has roots in psychoanalysis, Gestalt
psychology, Reichian character analysis, and the work
of the early phenomenologists. It was developed in the
1940s primarily by Frederick Perls, Laura Perls, and Paul
Goodman. Gestalt therapy is humanistic, holistic, and
experiential. It is a process-oriented and relational
approach based on a theory of healthy functioning. The
focus in therapy is on disruption of the natural process of
self-regulation. The goal of treatment is the restoration of
awareness, which allows for increased choice and
flexibility in all aspects of living.
1. DESCRIPTION OF TREATMENT s0005
1.1. Philosophical Foundations s0010
Gestalt therapy method is guided by three philosophical
foundations. The first of these is field theory, a concept
that derives from physics. The ‘‘field’’ is a dynamic
interrelated system, each part of which influences every
95 #2004 Elsevier Inc.
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