Gestalt Theory and the Problem of Configuration

Among the psychological theories, the doctrine of Gestalt or ‘configurationism’ has won general attention only recently, though it grew contemporaneously with behaviorism. Its importance, however, is none the less very great in so far as it furnishes an alternative approach to the psycho-physiological problem of human and animal behavior. The general conception of ‘configurationism’ is to stress organized wholes as they occur in experience and in performance rather than their elements, as does the older psychology. This method makes possible an alternative treatment of behaviour, of perception and even of learning, though the results obtained in this respect are not yet final. The particular value of the book under review is that it not only explains the aims, method and results of the Gestalt theory, but that it also makes a searching criticism of this doctrine, indicating at the same time the conditions for its future progress. The book was first published as a part of the “International Library of Psychology, Philosophy and Scientific Method” series, which still remains a collection of definitive works contributed by the leading international scholars.