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Monkswood Associates Newsletter: May 2003
Gestalt introduction and cycle of experience
Introduction
Sitting down to write a regular newsletter is new to me, but how new is it? I design training workshops and write proposals in which I sometimes need to supply background information. What is new is the format and the reasons. As last month’s topic, Appreciative Inquiry (AI), suggests, change is easier if you carry with you the good points of what you already know/do. Doing this review (as the Kolb learning cycle suggests is productive for effective learning) has helped me appreciate that writing newsletters is not such a foreign place after all. I now have greater confidence to go forward to my next topic, which I mentioned last month and that is Gestalt. This will take more than one newsletter to cover as there is so much to it. I will start with some of the characteristics that I have found useful in organisational work.
Gestalt
At the very start I recognise that Gestalt has attributes that are found in other fields of human and organisational theory and practice. Fritz Perls is the name most people link with Gestalt, although in reality what he did was develop it into a practical method to help individuals using all sources of information - rational mind, mental and physical feelings, bodily movements, and spiritual awareness in the broadest sense. In Gestalt books the sources from which its foundations were developed are freely acknowledged.
So what is Gestalt? First there is no English word equivalent to Gestalt, which is a German word. In essence Gestalt looks at things as whole at macro- and micro-levels. I find many aspects are helpful in both my work and personal life. What first attracted me to Gestalt was:
- The emphasis on sharpening awareness that has knock-on consequences in increasing choice, accepting responsibility for oneself and potentially leading to changing habits of perceiving, feeling and doing. Each of us chooses what we accept, reject, think, feel and how we behave. Some choice has become habit while other choice is still conscious – through my training in Gestalt my heightened awareness of my habits and rules has increased my ability to choose;
- The importance placed on each person’s individual and unique experience and his/her own perception of that experience being true to that person - and accepting the validity of that view with no prejudgement or set expectations: this comes across to me as non-judgmental, accepting what is and working with it rather than fighting against it; and
- The significance of context (sometimes known as the ‘field’) and viewing a person in the context of his or her environment (ie content belongs in a context). Human beings can only be understood within the system of which they are a component part: this means that even an observer is part of the context and, therefore, has an impact on it – there is so much to say about context that I am going to leave it for another newsletter.
Gestalt recognises the natural flow of experience and unfinished business tends to stay with you and can interfere with behaviours, perceptions and thinking. Such distortions, impositions or interruptions are seen to be linked to different stages of the cycle. I have found it useful to be aware of the cycle and possible interruptions when talking with people. I can call on this knowledge to help me understand individuals and situations – or at least give me some ideas where investigation may be fruitful.
Let us look at the cycle, which describes the process. The cycle starts with sensations emerging from the environment, either from within or outside the person, which come into the person’s awareness. In other words, you are starting to be conscious of something, an issue. However, some people may experience blocks even at these stages. Typical disruptions are:
- desensitisation (diluting, disregarding or neglecting the senses); and
- deflection (reducing, avoiding or turning aside from direct contact or awareness, making it vague, generalised or bland).
Switching off or casting off can be very effective ways of protecting yourself. However, it also can make you vulnerable in other situations. Thus it may have been useful not to notice the noise your siblings made when studying but not noticing what’s happening round you at work may cause you difficulties.
As awareness increases so does your energy to do something about it. In the workplace this is similar to drive and motivation towards action. This is the phase of exploring options and making decisions. Assuming no blockages, this energy is eventually turned into action. When you are in full flow of a task, when everything is going right, you are experiencing full contact. Counter forces diminish the energy for action and commonly these come in the form of:
- introjections (being ruled by internalised ‘shoulds’, habitual ways of being);
- projection (seeing in other what I do not acknowledge is in myself); an
- retroflection (doing to yourself what you want to do to or with someone or something).
People who habitually introject often keep an eye out for what they should be doing. They do not use their inner sense of self-directedness or self-regulation in consideration of their own needs. Introjection often interferes with the energy levels, preventing them from taking appropriate action to meet their needs. Sometimes it means they take in without being selective – in work this may mean they accept what they are told without question. Or they are unable to sift out useful information.
A projection is a trait, attitude, feeling or bit of behaviour, which really belongs to you but is not experienced as such. What you are doing is disowning what you really believe or do. ‘You shouldn’t shout at people’ may be a projection when the person actually means ‘I don’t like been shouted at’. Prejudice can be a kind of projection. Disowned aspects of yourself can be attributed to the despised group, thereby relieving the onus on you to come to terms with your own shadow qualities.
An example of retroflection is you tell yourself off, criticise yourself for being stupid or blaming yourself for whatever happened rather than show anger or voice disagreement. Another type of example is you may like to have very clear boundaries but are not given them and do not ask for them, so you set yourself boundaries that are so harsh you are likely to fail, for which you criticise yourself.
Completion is the next phase and this is the point of celebrating successes and learning from the experience. Reviews are typical in this phase. The final phase is to let go and move on, known as withdrawal. These may be impeded by:
- egotism (self-monitoring which prevents true involvement in any experience, blocking spontaneity by control); or
- confluence (process of merging with the environment so that the awareness of separateness is lost)
Egotism can occur at any stage and is linked to this stage due to the particular interruption to the flow of energy to assimilate and close. The word ‘egotism’ is linked to perceived pride and admiration of yourself, but it can also take the form of criticism and denigration. Thus in work such a person would be painfully aware of what s/he had done badly or wrong and imagine others have noticed it too, so that they are having critical thoughts about her/him. A level of self-monitoring is useful when you are focusing on increasing your self-awareness, but self-absorbed introspection reduces your ability to make good contact with other people.
In work confluence can result in a reluctance to let go of an idea, a feeling or a situation. This may be seen as tenacity in some situations, and working against yourself in others. Another aspect to confluence is that the confluent person finds it difficult to differentiate between their and another person’s experience – they are not in touch with their own or the other person’s individuality. This aspect shows more in personal relationships. However, it can also come out as losing sight of my needs and focus only on others.
Enough for this month! There are some websites that cover Gestalt which may be of interest to you:
http://www.editmanager.co.uk/user/index.php?user=mgc
(training and articles)
http://www.gestaltinorganisations.com/ (training)
http://www.britishgestaltjournal.com/ (journal)
You are welcome to reprint any part of this newsletter as long as you acknowledge the source, including full authorship, copyright, and subscription information.
Please ask any questions that the topic has raised, or share your thoughts and experiences with me, Helen Wade, at:
Monkswood Associates
Bankview, Shortwood, Nailsworth, Glos GL6 0RZ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1453.835263
Email: helen@monkswoodassociates.co.uk