Gestalt Therapy (Week 6) Flashcards
What are the Key Figures of Gestalt therapy?
Fritz Perls (founder)
Laura Perls (Fritz’s wife)
Erving Polster (student of Perls)
What does “in contact” mean in Gestalt theory?
A state in which people are in touch with themselves and the present situation. Problems occur when we are not “in contact” with ourselves.
What is “awareness” in Gestalt theory?
may be restricted and disowned
In Gestalt therapy, what is the effect of rejecting and disowning our own awareness?
hinders our ability to FULFILL OUR NEEDS; creates disturbances in our ability to MAKE CONTACT with self, others, and the environment; and leaves us with UNFINISHED BUSINESS
In Gestalt theory, what is the cycle of organismic self regulation?
- Sensation
- Awareness
- Mobilization
- Encounter
- Full contact
- Assimilation
- WIthdrawal
In Gestalt theory, what are the layers of Psychopathology (onion)?
- Phony (acting, presenting fake social self)
- Phobic (recognition of incongruence but fear self-expression may cause rejection)
- Impasse (facing contradictions within themselves; still fear rejection)
- Implosive (feelings implode; aware of insides but not grounded in identity)
- Explosive (congruence, expressing needs and self in moment)
In Gestalt theory, what are contact boundary disturbances?
patterns of responding that “impair one’s ability to contact oneself and the environment to meet one’s needs.” They include:
- Introjection (self-assimilates self-destructive material)
- Projection (awareness of self not contained–put into environment)
- Retroflection (self-enhancing impulses suppressed, expressed in self-destructive manner–cutting, headache, suicide)
- Confluence (enmeshment–lack of distinction between self and environment–difference feels like a threat; we try to get others to accept our needs)
In Gestalt theory, what are polarities?
Healthy people find wholeness by accepting and expressing opposite poles of life.
Pathological people attempt to hide unacceptable opposites by pretending that their lives are composed entirely of their phony characters.
In Gestalt theory, what are some examples of polarities?
Top dog v. Underdog
Change v. Stability
Social Self v. Natural Self
Adult v. Child
Perfect v. Failure
Emotional v. Logical
Shallow v. Deep
Responsible v. Carefree
Saint v. Sinner
What are the goals of Gestalt therapy?
- Increase healthy contact between self, others, and environment.
- Increased organismic self-awareness.
- Increased awareness.
- Increased authenticity in self-expression.
- Increased acceptance of and integration of polarities.
- Increased self-responsibility and decreased sense of responsibility for others.
What characterizes the therapeutic relationship in Gestalt therapy?
Making contact
“Here and now”
Dialogic engagement (What are you doing now? What are you feeling now? What are you trying to avoid? What do you want? What do you expect of me?)
What are some general client guidelines for the therapeutic relationship in Gestalt therapy?
- Attune oneself to the here-and-now
- Commit to the here-and-now
- Own everything
- Commit to meaningful dialogue
- Avoid questions
- Take risks
- Embrace personal responsibility
What are some interventions in Gestalt therapy?
- Directed awareness
- Games of dialogue (Dialogue between polarities; empty-chair technique)
- Playing the projection (Client takes on role of person they tend to project upon)
- Reversals (Asking client to act in way opposite from how they normally do)
- Rehearsals (vocalizing/questioning inner dialogue as rehearsed version of self)
- May I feed you a sentence? (T’pist gives client stmt showing what they’re missing)
- Repetition and exaggeration of client responses
- Semantics and language modification (Raising client awareness of own language)
