How did the Zeitgeist in physics change toward the end of the nineteenth century? How did that change influence Gestalt psychology?
At the end of the nineteenth century the ideas in the field of physics began to revolutionize. Earlier the physicists viewed the physical processes only through the working of atoms. In the later parts of the century the fields of force were recognized and accepted. These are defined as regions or spaces which are traversed by lines of force, such as from magnetic or electric current.
These fields of force were seen as a new structural entity, not as the sum total of effect of individual elements or particles. This revolutionary concept in Physics influenced the principles of Gestalt psychology.
The description of whole fields, gave support to Gestalt’s holistic approach to perceptions. Gestalt psychology explains perceptions as a whole experience, and not as bundles of elementary sensations. This theory proposes that entirety is more important than the individual tendencies.
Gestalt psychology aimed at eliminating the atomistic approach of Wundt toward perception. The atomistic approach did not approach the experience as a whole. It considered the individual sensory elements. Whereas according to Gestalt, the perception of a visual scene as a whole helps in finding order and unity, among the unrelated parts. It considers learning process as a whole, not just the external stimulus response.