History -wk3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History -wk3 - Essay Example Functionalism was more interested in how the mind worked, and how it is used by an organism in order to adopt to it’s environment (Schultz and Schultz, 2004). These researchers were concerned with how the mind functioned in the real world. Psychology was interested in the functioning of the entire human being which is the reason why they tended to function under functionalism instead of structuralism. Darwin believed that natural selection meant that some organisms would survive in their environments while others would not and that this may be inherited (Schultz and Schultz, 2004). According to Weiner, this natural selection has changed in that it now means that individuals are attempting to maintain the genetic pool so that individuals do not develop those characteristics that will not promote the maintenance of the species. Although these two theories are similar, it seems that contemporary evolutionary theory gives more understanding of why some children survive and some do not whether this is in childbirth or afterwards. In other words, perhaps some defects are detected early on in a species and therefore the organism is eliminated before it has a chance to grow because it does not promote the species. I am interested in the concept of Gestalt psychology and how it has been used in counseling and therapy. I would like to begin with an understanding of what Gestalt psychology is and how it has developed over time. I would like to include an understanding of its influence for Wundts work and how it was influenced by the Zeitgeist in physics. I am fascinated by the idea that some of these theories have grown into the opportunity to use it in therapy. I will discuss some of the major contributors to Gestalt psychology including Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Kohler, Kurt Lewin. I will then discuss how Frederick Perls eventually coined "Gestalt Therapy" in order to show that therapy could be