Fritz Perls (1893 to 1970) and Laura Perls (1905 to 1990)
Fredrick (Fritz) and Laura Perls were a husband and wife team of psychologists, who originated and developed the well known Gestalt
therapy.
As a boy Fritz was a source of much trouble to his parents. He failed in seventh grade twice and was expelled from the school because of difficulties with the authorities. Somehow, he managed to complete his school and also got his postgraduate degree in medicine with specialization in psychiatry.
He served as a doctor in World War I and later
worked for brain damaged soldiers where formulated much of his
theory. Then he came across psychologists like Karen Horney and Wilhelm Reich who worked on psychoanalytic theory. But he could not believe in the repression influences of early childhood experiences and the mechanistic theory of Freud. So he broke away from them; migrated to the US and established the New York Institute of Gestalt Therapy in 1952. He spent the rest of his life giving lectures and organizing workshops and seminars for promotion of his therapy.
Paula was an extremely versatile person. She
began playing piano at the
age of 5 and played with professional skill by the time she was 18. She was involved in modern
dance also from the age of 8 and continued to maintain her interest in dance and music all her life. Though she had prepared herself for a career as a concert pianist, she had also graduated in law. Then she changed her mind and graduated in Gestalt psychology.
She met Fritz in 1926 and they began their collaboration, which resulted in Gestalt Therapy. Laura and Fritz were married in 1930. They founded the New York Institute of Gestalt Therapy and worked together to promote it. Laura was the driving force behind Fritz. Without her help and help from his friends it would not have been possible for Frtiz to practically put forward his ideas.
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