History as Luxury

Mitchell Ash's book on the rise and decline of Gestalt psychology evokes images reminiscent of sophisticated historical movies by Jane Campion or James Ivory. Gestalt psychology in German culture, 1890-1967: Holism and the quest for objectivity (see record 1996-97387-000) colorfully depicts the old European family backgrounds of Gestalt psychology's main figures (among them Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Kohler, and Kurt Lewin); he sketches the cosmopolitan atmosphere in early 20th-century Berlin and penetratingly reveals the intricate social relations under Nazism. Ash's book offers an ingenious web of various intertwined life histories. Just as with Wertheimer's intellectual biography, the stories of Gestalt psychology's other main figures are gradually disclosed. These simultaneous histories are no less pictorial and educational. The book's expansiveness commands unadulterated admiration. To Ash, historiography is clearly not a Brotfach. His style undeniably displays an aesthetic view on research and writing. Rather than manipulation and control, the book's motivation is to appreciate specific patterns. Rather than a straightforward attempt to better psychology, it is mainly an endeavor to understand a particular culture. Besides, Ash writes in a clear, seemingly effortless prose. His polished details include German words added between brackets. The well-chosen illustrations offer extra information, and meticulously taken care of are the appendixes, notes, and index. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)