In this article I will explain The main laws or principles of the Gestalt . For this, I will first briefly relate the meaning of Gestalt Psychology, its origins and its approaches, which include the laws of the Gestalt.
The Gestalt Psychology can be framed within the framework of humanistic psychology. It gave its light thanks to a movement of psychologists arisen in 1910 in Germany.
It is currently widely used in psychotherapy And in solving problems, emphasizing the subjective experiences of each person. It works with the human being, seeing it capable of developing freely and autonomously.
Within this aspect of psychology , It includes a psychological approach in which the way of behaving and feeling of the human being as a whole is seen. That is, it can not be reduced to what is directly observable or measurable.
According to the Gestalt, we all create in our mind images more or less coherent about us and everything around us. These images are an integration of sensorial, affective, intellectual, social and spiritual dimensions, allowing a global experience, where the corporal experience can be translated into words and the word can be lived bodily.
The objectives of Gestalt-oriented therapy are, in addition to explaining the origins of our difficulties, of experiencing possible new solutions, giving way to the mobilization towards change.
Laws of the Gestalt
The laws of the Gestalt are included in the Psychology of the perception and were proposed by the psychologists of the Gestalt ( Max Wertheimer , Kurt Koffka Y Wolfgang Köhler ), Movement emerged in Germany, 1910.
These laws enunciate general principles and are governed in that, every perceptual act that occurs in the brain, this is in charge of making the best possible organization of the elements that are perceived. Already Köhler made clear with his famous phrase:"the whole is not the same as the sum of the parts", that the human brain does not perceive each element separately but perceives them as a whole, a whole.
1- Law of Similarity
Similar elements are perceived as belonging to the same shape, color, size, or brightness and to be grouped together. These formed groups can be clearly separated from the rest of the elements.
In the psychic-social sphere, we try to orient ourselves in the world through cognitive maps by means of which we group or categorize individuals, situations, objects or facts by the similarities that exist between them, that is, their similar traits. With this in mind, thanks to this law, we are familiar with the unknown world.
This law explains how when we read we transform an unknown word into a known word. Next, I will give you an example of a text with words that, alone, would have no meaning. However, embedded in a text we can see how we read them effectively as others that are known to us with similar traits.
Sgeun is a study of an invegible language, not the language in which the letters are written, the name of the language is that the language and the utterance are written in the corpse. The rsto can be tatolemnte wrong and even pordas lerelo without problems. This is why do not lemeos each lerta for ifima the word in a tdoo.
2- Law of Totality
The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
3- Law of Structure
A form is perceived as a whole, regardless of the parts that constitute it.
4- Law of Dialectics
Every form is revealed on a background to which it opposes. The look decides whether"x"element belongs to form or background.
5- Law of common destiny or common movement
Elements that move to the same direction tend to organize or display as a group or set.
In the psychic field, we group people or events according to their common features, just as we do in the Law of Similarity. The common movements made by two people would define according to this Law features of compatibility between their characters
6- Law of figure-background
An element is better perceived the more contrast between it and the background (for example, if the color of a shape is white it will be better perceived if the background is black).
That is, we tend to pay attention to one or more objects (which would be the figure) by highlighting them from the rest of the objects that surround it (bottom) and this would increase their potentiality the more contrast there is between them.
According to this theory, in an image there are two differentiated parts:
- One of them has a greater communicative transcendence: the figure. The one that surrounds this figure would be the bottom and has less transcendence.
- Both sides are not perceived at the same time, and in addition there may be alternation in the perception of both parties. This means that, depending on the observer, a person can see the figure before the background or, on the other hand, another person may perceive the background before the figure
- In the perception also influences the distance from where we are when observing the image.
- There must always be a figure and a background.
7- Contrast law
The relative position of the different elements influences the attribution of qualities of these (such as size). In the psychic field, it is used to make comparisons between different contexts and situations.
When comparing situations, even if the absolute values are maintained, relative values can vary the perception of a situation by changing the reference points.
If, for example, we compare a situation that we attach importance to at a certain moment, such as losing the bus, and we think of another situation as it is losing a job, this first situation that for us had a lot of relevance, Importance for the different point of reference that we have in this respect.
8- Law of continuity
The mind usually continues with the same pattern even after it has disappeared. The elements having the same direction are perceived with a continuity, so that there is no space between them, maintaining the same direction of the object.
9 - Principle of Pregnancy (Prägnanz) or of good form
It is also called the principle of simplicity. The brain tries to organize the perceived elements in the best possible way taking precedence over the complete, integrated and stable forms. This allows us to reduce possible ambiguities or distortions by always looking for the simplest form.
This law also includes other gestalt laws, since the brain also prefers closed, symmetrical and continuous forms (where we would frame the laws of closure, and that of continuity). In addition, it also includes in the preferences the forms that have a good contrast (in which the law of figure-background is framed)
10- Principle of Topological Invariancy
It is the branch of mathematics dedicated to the study of those properties of geometric bodies that remain unchanged by continuous transformations. A good shape resists the deformation applied to it.
11- Principle of Masking
A good form resists the disturbances to which it is subjected.
12- Beginning of Birkhoff
One way will be all the more imprecise, the greater the number of axes it has.
13- Principle of Proximity
Elements similar to each other are perceived as belonging to the same form or group, that is, as a whole. Our brain Groups things with common properties such as color, shape, movement, etc.
In the social sphere, we assume that, for example, two people who live together are affectively very close, close. There are different types of proximity between people. There is physical, emotional, intellectual, etc. proximity.
When one of these proximities occurs, we tend to assume that one or more of them are also given. For example, affective-intellectual proximity.
In the drawing, you can see how the closest elements are perceived as a shape.
14- Principle of Memory
The forms are better perceived the greater the number of times presented.
15- Hierarchical Principle
A complex form will be all the more imprecise as the perception is better oriented, from the main to the accessory (hierarchical).
16- Law of closure or closure
If a line forms a closed, or almost closed, figure we tend to perceive a surface figure enclosed by a line, rather than simply a line. That is, we tend to add the missing elements in order to complete those gaps that make us perceive the figure as incomplete.
The open or inconclusive forms cause us discomfort and that is why we tend to close and complete with the imagination the perceived ways to get the best possible organization.
The reason for all this is that our perception of objects is much more complete than the sensory stimulation we receive from outside.
At the level of the psychic, this law can be observed when someone does not finish a sentence leaving it incomplete. For example, in the phrase"if I had.."we expect more information, but not having it usually try to finish the sentence. This leads us to conclude with an imaginary complement lacking really valid information.
18- Inclusivity Act
According to this law, a figure is camouflaged since it tends to homogenize the figure and the background. This causes some confusion in the observer, since the difference between figure and background can not be accurately perceived.
