Gestalt Theory

The Gestalt Theory (Gestaltism)

According to the Gestalt Theory, which is commonly known as the Law of Simplicity, every stimulus is perceived by humans in its “most simple form”. The main focus of the theory is “grouping” and the entire theory emphasizes on the fact that the whole of anything is greater than the sum of its parts. Besides, “gestalt” in German means the “shape of an entity’s complete form”. Thus, the operational principle of the brain is holistic and has a self-organizing inclination.
The 4 Laws of Organization
The factors that determine the principle of “grouping” –also known as the “laws of organization”- are the following:

1. Proximity
   Elements are typically grouped together based on their immediacy
2. Similarity
   Elements similar to one another tend to be grouped together
3. Closure
   Elements are typically grouped together if they are a part of an entity
4. Simplicity
   Elements should be organized into simplistic figures, based on their symmetry, smoothness and regularity

The primary goal of the Gestalt Theory is to encourage the brain to view not just the whole, but also the parts that make up that whole. For example, when someone is looking at a tree, is he just staring at this tree, or does he also see the leaves, the branches, and the trunk? The whole and the sum of its parts are two entirely different things, and learning can be achieved if learners are able to cognitively process how parts can make up this whole.

The main principles of the Gestalt Theory

The main principles of the Gestalt Theory in Learning are:

1. Teachers should encourage their students to discover the relationship of the elements that make up a problem
2. Incongruities, gaps, or disturbances are essential stimuli in the learning process
3. Educational instruction should be based on the Laws of Organization

In a learning environment, the Gestalt Theory applies to problem solving and perception. However, it can be used in all aspects of education. A perfect example was provided by Wertheimer himself, when he asked children to find the area of a parallelogram. He suggested that, as long as parallelograms had a normal shape, the children could apply the standard procedure in order to determine the area. However, if the parallelogram had an irregular shape, children could not apply the same logic or principles, but had to solve the problem by understanding the actual structure of the shape.
References

• Scholarpedia. Gestalt Principles. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Gestalt_principles
• Ellis, W.D. (1938). A Source Book of Gestalt Psychology. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
• Wertheimer, M. (1959). Productive Thinking (Enlarged Ed.). New York:Harper & Row.
• http://www.gestalttheory.com/
• http://www.gestalt.org/barlow.htm
• http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Gestalt_psychology.html