On Two Foundational Principles of the Berlin School of Gestalt Psychology

Abstract

In this article, I consider what I have long taken to be the two foundational principles of the Berlin School of Gestalt psychology, namely, that perceptual configurations are “distinguishable from” or “other than” the elements from which they are configured and that the identity of such “elements” is determined by their relation to other elements within perceptual configurations. Yet, while it seems clear that Max Wertheimer (1880–1943), Kurt Koffka (1886–1941), and Wolfgang Köhler (1887–1967) were all committed to the first principle, it is less clear that they were committed (or were all committed) to the second principle. This is perhaps not surprising because commitment to the second principle would seem to undermine the first principle. I note that Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920) appears to have been one of few psychologists clearly committed to the second principle, which is perhaps why, despite appearances to the contrary, he does not seem to have been committed to the first principle. Finally, I discuss some questions raised by this analysis and relate it to recent developments in theoretical psychology and a perennial question in social psychology.