gestalt
Other forms: gestalten
A gestalt has two or more parts (like figure and ground) that are so integrated together that we perceive them as one object. Think of teaching "the whole child," and you have the idea behind gestalt.
The perception of oneness from many is the basis of gestalt. It derived from the 1890 German philosophy of Gestaltqualität, meaning "form or shape," which explored the idea of perception. For example, a picture might have several separate parts that work together to form one perceived image. The area of gestalt psychology developed in 1912, focusing on the various aspects of a person and how they combine into a whole that affects that person's relationship with his or her environment.
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a configuration or pattern of elements so unified as a whole that it cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts
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Vocabulary lists containing gestalt
Charlie Gordon goes through an experimental treatment to increase his intelligence, with unexpected and ultimately tragic results.
In this classic horror novel, Jack Torrance takes a job as a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, where he and his family are tormented by the hotel's haunting influence.
Biographer Frank Brady chronicles the meteoric rise and astounding fall of chess prodigy Bobby Fischer.