In what ways did Gestalt psychology affect psychology as a whole?
The Gestalt psychology was a movement which cropped up in Germany in 1912. This theory proposes that entirety is more important than the individual tendencies. 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. According to this philosophy,the whole of an experience has more significance rather than the individual parts.
This movement had a profound impact on the field of psychology. It influenced studies on perception, thinking, learning, motivation, personality, and social psychology. It fostered interest towards the significance of consciousness in perception and experiences. This movement has maintained an identity of its own.
It has presented consciousness as a legitimate problem for psychology. Gestalt psychology also paved way to the development of contemporary cognitive psychology. It has continued to adopt a phenomenological approach towards understanding perception. This approach is widely followed by European psychologists. It also influenced the American humanistic psychology movement.