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Gestalt is a German word meaning form or pattern. From the 1920s, Gestalt psychology has made the landmark influence through significant discoveries in the fields of visual perception, motivation and action. One of the earliest discoveries was that a person senses the world in an organized way, seeking completed forms rather than separate parts.

Gestalt psychology significantly influenced the development of the Gestalt therapeutic approach on multiple levels. One level is represented by the Figure & Ground interplay – (each gestalt that is formed is also a figure that stands out against its background) that will be discussed later. Another level is the holistic view of a person in Gestalt work: wholeness of a person and integration of individual experiences that amounts to much more than the individuals’ separate parts. Together, thinking, feeling and sensory awareness result in a unique experience of the person and its environment. The Gestalt way of working is always oriented towards what is missing. For example, if the client keeps talking extensively and explaining without showing emotions, the coach might wonder what the client feels.

Our roles are also viewed in a holistic manner. For example, in the business environment one often hears how work needs to be separated from one’s private life, but it is never as simple as that. We are not merely the sum of our roles in life. You go through the day without any breaks in your consciousness and with the same self-awareness. In each role you play you must engage that whole person in order to be truly effective (Downs 2002).