gestalt

[ guh-shtahlt, -shtawlt, -stahlt, -stawlt ]

/ gəˈʃtɑlt, -ˈʃtɔlt, -ˈstɑlt, -ˈstɔlt /

noun, plural ge·stalts, ge·stal·ten [guh-shtahl-tn, -shtawl-, -stahl-, -stawl-] /gəˈʃtɑl tn, -ˈʃtɔl-, -ˈstɑl-, -ˈstɔl-/. (sometimes initial capital letter) Psychology.

a configuration, pattern, or organized field having specific properties that cannot be derived from the summation of its component parts; a unified whole.

an instance or example of such a unified whole.

Content related to gestalt

Our Favorite Viral Optical Illusions Explained What’s not to love about optical illusions? The magical, mysterious, mind-bending visuals never cease to evoke a series of ‘“woahs” and “what the’s--.” Words usually fail to describe them. Yet, one common word that is often used is trippy, hearkening to the psychedelic days of the ‘60s and ‘70s. But, believe it or not, the first optical illusions emerged far earlier, in the 5th century B.C. They even had Aristotle bumfuzzled! From Medieval Latin, opticus means “of sight or seeing” and ludere, “to play”—thus, optical illusions are visuals that essentially “play with one’s sight.” Because these images are invested with such mysterious power, we think optical illusions are some of the coolest didactic devices known to man. They’re brilliant to look at, and they teach us to question everything. So, to honor these powerful images, we want to share with you their proper names—because, honestly, trippy only holds up in the basement. Get your brains and eyeballs ready. They will be boggled.

Words related to gestalt

shape, composition, structure, contour, disposition, figure, form, outline

Words nearby gestalt

gessen, gesso, gest, gesta romanorum, gestagen, gestalt, gestalt phenomenon, gestalt psychology, gestalt psychotherapy, gestalt therapy, gestaltism

Origin of gestalt

1920–25; < German: figure, form, structure

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gestalt

Right now I needed a gestalt of something whose whole would be a lot greater than the sum of its parts.
Jack of No Trades|Charles Cottrell
Perls transformed the Gestalt psychologists' central idea so it would serve as a basis for his approach to psychotherapy.
When You Don't Know Where to Turn|Steven J. Bartlett
If his action is successful, his Gestalt is closed: the problem is resolved, and the motivation is fulfilled.
When You Don't Know Where to Turn|Steven J. Bartlett
In the example, the man suffering from thirst in the desert has a Gestalt that impels him to find water.
When You Don't Know Where to Turn|Steven J. Bartlett

Like the Gestalt of the psychologists, the closed Gestalt of therapy signifies an organized whole.
When You Don't Know Where to Turn|Steven J. Bartlett

British Dictionary definitions for gestalt

Gestalt

/ (ɡəˈʃtælt) /

noun plural -stalts or -stalten (-ˈʃtæltən)

(sometimes not capital) a perceptual pattern or structure possessing qualities as a whole that cannot be described merely as a sum of its partsSee also Gestalt psychology

Word Origin for Gestalt

C20: German: form, from Old High German stellen to shape

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for gestalt

gestalt

n. pl. ge•stalts

A physical, biological, psychological, or symbolic configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that its properties cannot be derived from a simple summation of its parts.gestalt phenomenon