gestalts
Integrated perceptual wholes
Gestalts is the plural of gestalt, a German word meaning a unified whole that can't be understood as just the sum of its parts.
In psychology, gestalt refers to how the mind perceives patterns and configurations rather than isolated elements: The gestalts we perceive in music emerge from relationships between notes, not the notes themselves.
More broadly, gestalt describes any organized structure whose properties arise from the arrangement of its components.
Perceptual separation of object and background
- closureSense of emotional resolution
- proximityNearness in space
- similarityState of being alike
- continuityUninterrupted progression or coherence
emergence · reification · invariance · symmetry · perceptual constancy · pattern recognition · optical illusion · depth perception
Complete aggregate amount
- unityWholeness through cohesion
- completenessState of being whole
- integrationCombining into a whole
- coherenceLogical internal consistency
entirety · sum · configuration · emergence · synergy · interrelation · interdependence · holism
Study of subjective experience
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
- unfinished businessIncomplete matters requiring attention
- empty chairUnoccupied seating spot
holism · field theory · isomorphism · problem-solving · aha moment · restructuring · organismic · experiential
figure-ground
Perceptual separation of object and background
- closureSense of emotional resolution
- proximityNearness in space
- similarityState of being alike
continuity · emergence · reification · invariance · symmetry · perceptual constancy · pattern recognition · optical illusion · depth perception · contour
totality
Complete aggregate amount
- unityWholeness through cohesion
- completenessState of being whole
- integrationCombining into a whole
coherence · entirety · sum · configuration · emergence · synergy · interrelation · interdependence · holism · system
phenomenology
Study of subjective experience
- insightDeep perceptive understanding
- awarenessState of perceiving reality
- unfinished businessIncomplete matters requiring attention
empty chair · holism · field theory · isomorphism · problem-solving · aha moment · restructuring · organismic · experiential
configuration
Arrangement of parts
- formShape or document
- structureArrangement of interconnected parts
- arrangementOrdered configuration or agreement
organization · template · schema · motif · lattice · matrix · network · layout · figure · contour
gestaltscomponents
Constituent parts
parts · elements · fragments · particulars · details
gestaltsfragments
Incomplete broken pieces
pieces · shards · chaos · disarray · incoherence
gestaltsaggregates
Collects into totals
heaps · collections · accumulations · totals · compilations
- Gestalt therapyAwareness-centered humanistic treatment approach
- gestalt theoryPsychological approach emphasizing wholeness