Developmental Theories Illustrated through
a Gestalt Perspective

An essay by Ana Haynes

Since Gestalt is a therapy focusing on the here and now (Mann, 2010:15), developmental theory hasn’t really found a place (Lobb, 2012). The challenge, therefore, is to integrate developmental concepts such as Freud’s developmental theory, into the Gestalt theory, without losing the here-and-now core (Lobb, 2012). In her work “Toward a Developmental Perspective in Gestalt Theory and Practice: The Polyphonic Developmental of Domains”, Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb has found a way to beautifully integrate the developmental concepts into Gestalt practice, as well as translate the notion of creative adjustments into a more concrete concept, that of development of domains, while allowing the here-and-now core to remain intact and implementing the now-for-next as a tool to support eliminating the creative adjustments, or domains (Lobb, 2012).

While the traditional approach of the developmental psychology implied that humans go from a childhood passage which is immature and changing, to adulthood when the expectation of the adult is to be mature and balanced, but not changing, the “psychology of life” move from the ‘80s suggests that change can occur at all stages in a human’s life (Lobb, 2012). This translates in the idea that even though we develop creative adjustments as children, it doesn’t mean that they should automatically be used as adults. Gestalt proposes that we understand from which experiences these have drawn from, translate them into current circumstances, but more importantly, learn to understand them and let go, therefore be able to change and adapt to new ways of being, while honouring the fact that these creative adjustments, or domains, have supported us until adulthood.

Gestalt relies on contact, and contact happens in the here and now (Lobb, 2012). Problems occur when we stop at the contact point of the circle of experience. Margherita developed the notion of “now-for-next”, describing the excitement, which is a need to reach out for the meaningful other (Lobb, 2012), which from a developmental point of view might be the parent (Stewart & Joines, 1987, p. 102). By this, we can deduct that during childhood, at various developmental stages, something stopped the child from making contact in a natural way and the child creatively adjusted and found new ways of making contact (Lobb, 2012).
During childhood, the excitement for contact has been suppressed, due to lack of support from the caregiver. The child develops creative adjustments in order to make contact, and the natural instinct for excitement is suppressed (Lobb, 2012). If the pattern of breaking the circle at the contact stage is continuous throughout childhood, and it’s constantly replaced by creative adjustments, the natural ability is suppressed, therefore the adult will lack this skill (implementing the natural instinct for excitement) (Lobb, 2012). This way, as adults, we continue relying on creative adjustments formed in the childhood, rather than forming new, relevant gestalts (Mann, 2010). The beauty of Gestalt is that it allows for these to develop and be explored in the therapy room, but most importantly, to be replaced by new, relevant-to-the-present ways of making contact. Therefore, as adults we can continue to change, which is the opposite of what the traditional developmental theories are teaching us, i.e. that the childhood tools are to be used throughout life, and adults can no longer change, but rather continue to rely on the same tools used as children (Lobb, 2012).

While it is important to refer to the past experiences of the client, in order to understand the creative adjustment playing out in the present, in the therapy room and outside of it, it is crucial not to accept the creative adjustments as they come. Gestalt relies on co-creation in the therapy room (Lobb, 2012). Where traditional developmental psychology almost diagnoses a pattern and accepts as it is, Gestalt has a different approach. By being in the here-and-now (instead of focusing on the childhood patterns), Gestalt allows for the creative adjustments to surface, and this happens when the therapist is a blank slate for the client (Lobb, 2012). The therapist becomes whatever the client needs. The therapist allows for play, and the creative adjustment is played in the therapy room by the client. While allowing it to develop is crucial, naming and supporting the creative adjustment is key. The shame is taken out of the context, and the creative adjustment is accepted for what it is: the good enough child who used the tools available to survive. Only then, change can begin to happen, when we have accepted what it is – the paradoxical theory of change (Mann, 2010:62). When the therapist “enters the same domain” (Lobb, 2012), without becoming confluent, it allows for the client to develop different creative adjustments, or tools, to be used in the here and now - in the therapy room, but more importantly in their day to day life. “In this, lies the therapist’s art” (Lobb, 2012).

Another aspect which is missed in the traditional developmental theories, is the environment. Gestalt comes with the solution to that problem, by being a therapy with a holistic approach (Mann, 2010:4). Interpersonal relationships rely on two or more people in order to be a concept: “selves can only exist in definite relationships with other selves” (C. H. Swensen, 1973:1). Therefore, it is wrong to omit the importance of the environment in what is the creation of creative adjustments of the child. If the environment is nurturing, and the primary caregivers support the child and recognise their attempts to contact, this allows the child to close a gestalt, and avoid any unfinished business (Lobb, 2012). If the caregivers do not recognise this, then the child will continue to repeat the behaviour in an automatic way, without allowing for the normal decision-making process to occur. Lobb defines this by explaining how the child will carry out this act of implementing a pre-learned creative adjustment without “the freshness of the spontaneous contact” (Lobb, 2012). In other words, the adult does not asses a situation and come up with a relevant solution, but rather refers back to childhood patterns. The caregivers are the most influential in this process, and the creative adjustments develop in relation to them, and later on in life are seen in the relationships with friends, co-workers, new family etc (C. H. Swensen, 1973:20).
When a child lives in a constant sense of anxiety, there is a risk of slower cognitive and social development (C. H. Swensen, 1973:20).

Marslow’s pyramid of needs suggests that in order to achieve self-actualisation as human, we need to build upon a certain order of different needs. The second one refers to safety and security, and it implies that we cannot progress to the next stage until we have acquired this one – it is worth mentioning that these needs are relevant to the individual, i.e. what might me important for me, might be less important for other (McLeod, 2020). The way I understand this from a personal developmental perspective is as follows: the feeling of living in survival mode is accentuated by the fact that since I haven’t acquired the necessary developmental skills associated to this level, I was not able to naturally progress to the next. However, being part of a society, I had to adapt, and half-deliver the rest of the steps, to the best of my ability. This requires an enormous amount of energy, as the feeling of safety is always missing, therefore I do not have the courage to go too far away from a semi-secure base. If I am to consider my development from this perspective, then in order to be able to function highly, I need to go back and heal that part of me which still feels unsafe. Understanding this missing part of my past, I can then move forward and develop new, healthy domains: the-now-for-next (McLeod, 2020). Just like a doctor needs to identify the wounded part in order to heal, so must we - or rather I - need to find the part of me which was wounded in my childhood. But instead of mourning it, I have to come back to the present, understand which ways it affects me now, and find ways of healing it, or, at least, stop it from making more damage. And that can only ever come with awareness of self.

Bibliography
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