John E. Jones

❚❘ A GESTALT PRIMER
J. William Pfeiffer and Judith A. Pfeiffer
Fritz Perls, the founder of Gestalt therapy, was influenced by Freud, Rank, Reich, Adler,
Jung, and others. As a result, Gestalt therapy is, in many ways, an extension of
psychoanalytic theory. Subsequent impact on Gestalt theory has come from
psychodrama, general semantics, client-centered counseling, and group dynamics.
The use of Gestalt methods is characterized by individual adaptation of Perls’s
basic work coupled with a variety of other theoretical approaches. Characteristically, the
Gestalt-oriented process includes change through activity, centrality of present
experience, importance of fantasy and creative experimentation, and significance of
language. Practitioners personally involve themselves and attempt to integrate
humanistic values into their work.
CONTACT
The contact cycle is the key concept of Gestalt psychology. Many people, because of
cultural training, are not particularly aware of internal events; therefore much of the
emphasis in Gestalt is on increasing both physiological and psychological awareness.
Once awareness is achieved, excitement develops; that is, energy emerge within the
person. Excitement is followed by action, which produces contact (Figure 1).
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Figure 1. Contact Cycle
For example, as I am walking on the street early in the morning, I pass a bakery,
and my awareness is of the smell of fresh-baked bread. Excitement is created by
fantasies of things that I enjoy: cream puffs, doughnuts, and sweet rolls. Action is going
into the store to purchase those things that meet my fantasies. Lastly, I make contact
with the bakery goods.
Originally published in The 1975 Annual Handbook for Group Facilitators by J. William Pfeiffer & John E. Jones (Eds.), San Diego,
CA: Pfeiffer & Company.
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 3, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer