question 5

Question 1

Discuss two reasons why the word “Gestalt” has caused problems in defining the field of Gestalt Psychology. Discuss why Gestalt Psychology had difficulty being accepted in the U.S.

Answer 1

Unlike behaviorism or functionalism, the word “Gestalt” didn’t directly describe what the movement stood for. For one, Kohler noted that the word was used in two ways in the German language, one being triangles and one being the notion of triangularity in shapes, Gestalt can be used to refer to objects as well as to their characteristic forms. Secondly, the term is not restricted to the visual or sensory field as it may contain thinking, learning, emotions, and behavior. In the United states gestalt psychology initially struggled to gain acceptance because the united states was predominantly behaviorist focused. The U.S. focused on stimulus-response and observable behaviors, they were not focused on clinical applications as much at the time. In addition to this, the European founders of Gestalt psychology provided cultural differences as well as a complex theoretical framework making it challenging to integrate the ideas smoothly into American psychology.

Question 2

Discuss two reasons why the word “Gestalt” has caused problems in defining the field of Gestalt Psychology.

Answer 2

Unlike behaviorism or functionalism, the word “Gestalt” didn’t directly describe what the movement stood for. For one, Kohler noted that the word was used in two ways in the German language, one being triangles and one being the notion of triangularity in shapes, Gestalt can be used to refer to objects as well as to their characteristic forms. Secondly, the term is not restricted to the visual or sensory field as it may contain thinking, learning, emotions, and behavior.

Question 3

Discuss why Gestalt Psychology had difficulty being accepted in the U.S.

Answer 3

In the United states gestalt psychology initially struggled to gain acceptance because the united states was predominantly behaviorist focused. The U.S. focused on stimulus-response and observable behaviors, they were not focused on clinical applications as much at the time. In addition to this, the European founders of Gestalt psychology provided cultural differences as well as a complex theoretical framework making it challenging to integrate the ideas smoothly into American psychology.