Gestalt psychology
Save This Word!
noun
(sometimes lowercase) the theory or doctrine that physiological or psychological phenomena do not occur through the summation of individual elements, as reflexes or sensations, but through gestalts functioning separately or interrelatedly.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Also called configurationism.
Origin of Gestalt psychology
First recorded in 1920–25
Words nearby Gestalt psychology
gest, gestagen, gestalt, gestaltism, gestalt phenomenon, Gestalt psychology, Gestalt psychotherapy, gestalt therapy, Gestapo, Gesta Romanorum, gestate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for Gestalt psychology
British Dictionary definitions for Gestalt psychology
Gestalt psychology
noun
a system of thought, derived from experiments carried out by German psychologists, that regards all mental phenomena as being arranged in Gestalts
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 psychology
Gestalt psychology
n.
gestaltism
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cultural definitions for Gestalt psychology
gestalt psychology
[ (guh-shtahlt, guh-shtawlt, guh-stahlt, guh-stawlt) ]
A type of psychology based on the study of a subject's responses to integrated wholes, rather than to separate experiences. Gestalt (a German word meaning “form”) also refers to any structure or pattern in which the whole has properties different from those of its parts; for example, the beauty of a musical melody does not depend on individual notes as such, but rather on the whole continuous tune.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.