View of Humankind
Fritz Perls had an optimistic and empowering view of people and placed a great importance on self-actualization. Perls believed that people were basically good and had the capacity to cope with their lives successfully, although he recognized that they sometimes needed help (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Gestalt therapy helps people develop awareness, inner strength, and self-sufficiency. These resources help individuals to recognize that the resources they need for positive growth and change are within themselves rather than in a partner, title, clinician, or career (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014).
Wholeness, Integration, and Balance
Gestalt therapy is a holistic approach that emphasizes the importance of integration and balance in people's lives. People cannot be separated from their environment nor can they be divided into parts (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). People's need for homeostasis can lead them to view their world in polarities or extremes. These polarities generally reflect internal or interpersonal conflicts. To achieve wholeness, people must become aware of and integrate their polarities of the mind and the body. Unless we accomplish that, the neglected or rejected side of the polarity is likely to build barriers against our efforts toward growth.
People constantly experience disequilibrium and then naturally try to restore balance, like eating when hungry or sleeping when tired for example. The basis of Gestalt approach, according to Perls, is the paradoxical situation that the organism has a two-part existence: both the awareness of what is happening in the present moment and the relationship that this is in contrast with (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Recognizing these splits and activating both is the goal of Gestalt therapy.
Ego boundary is described by Perls as the organism's definition in the relation to its environment...this relationship is experienced by what is inside the skin and what is outside the skin, but it is not a fixed thing. The two polarities of the fluid ego boundary are alienation and identification. Identification, as with our parents, our bodies, and our jobs, brings those aspects of our lives into our ego boundaries whereas alienation from other people or parts of ourselves, leads us to put those aspects outside our ego boundaries (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014).
People constantly experience disequilibrium and then naturally try to restore balance, like eating when hungry or sleeping when tired for example. The basis of Gestalt approach, according to Perls, is the paradoxical situation that the organism has a two-part existence: both the awareness of what is happening in the present moment and the relationship that this is in contrast with (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Recognizing these splits and activating both is the goal of Gestalt therapy.
Ego boundary is described by Perls as the organism's definition in the relation to its environment...this relationship is experienced by what is inside the skin and what is outside the skin, but it is not a fixed thing. The two polarities of the fluid ego boundary are alienation and identification. Identification, as with our parents, our bodies, and our jobs, brings those aspects of our lives into our ego boundaries whereas alienation from other people or parts of ourselves, leads us to put those aspects outside our ego boundaries (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014).
Awareness
Awareness is an essential element of emotional health according to Gestalt theorists. Awareness is a hallmark of a goal of treatment and of a healthy person. Limited awareness can be caused by preoccupation or low self-esteem. In Gestalt therapy, awareness is facilitated by experiments, a here-and-now focus, and process statements. Gestalt therapists do not practice reflective listening because they believe it is not enough for clients to just talk about their feelings. Gestalt therapists focus on nonverbal messages like the way the client is sitting or the tone of their voice (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Contact with the environment is one of the most important methods to gain awareness. Contact consists of seven functions: looking, listening, touching, talking, moving, smelling, and tasting.
Perls identified fives stages of contact and growth
Living in the here and now and be conscious of the present moment rather than being tied to the past or trying to control the future. Gestalt therapists place importance on accepting responsibility for our own lives rather than giving that power away or blaming and resenting others for our disappointments. In Gestalt therapy, people must make their own choices for themselves instead of allowing others to make the choices for them (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014).
Perls identified fives stages of contact and growth
- The phony layer - people play games, assume roles, react in stereotyped ways and inauthentic ways, and are insincere
- The phobic layer - people avoid pain, hide their real selves to prevent rejection, act out of fear, and feel vulnerable and helpless
- The impasse layer - people feel confused, stuck, and powerless and the seek help from others
- The implosive layer - people become aware they have limited themselves and begin to experiment with change to deal with unfinished business, to lower defenses, and to move toward greater integration
- The explosive layer - people experience reintegration and wholeness, become their authentic selves, gain access to great energy, feel and express emotions, and become more actualized
Living in the here and now and be conscious of the present moment rather than being tied to the past or trying to control the future. Gestalt therapists place importance on accepting responsibility for our own lives rather than giving that power away or blaming and resenting others for our disappointments. In Gestalt therapy, people must make their own choices for themselves instead of allowing others to make the choices for them (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014).
The Nature of Growth Disorders
Perls termed emotional problems, "growth disorders". The term grown disorders is used in connection with people who deny or reject aspects of themselves and their environment, are not living in the present, are not making fulfilling contact with others, lack awareness, and are not becoming actualized (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014). Avoidance and resistance keep people trapped in this unhealthy state. Gestalt therapists serve as facilitators of growth and the goal of Gestalt therapy is to help people become aware of their backlog of unfinished business and bring it to closure (Seligman & Reichenberg, 2014).