Lore Perls
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Laura Perls (née ''Lore Posner''; 15 August 1905 – 13 July 1990) was a German-Jewish
psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and explanation, interpretatio ...
and
psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
. She is most notable for developing the
Gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes Responsibility assumption, personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's exp ...
therapy approach in collaboration with her husband and fellow psychotherapist
Fritz Perls Friedrich Salomon Perls (July 8, 1893 – March 14, 1970), better known as Fritz Perls, was a German-born psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and psychotherapist. Perls coined the term "Gestalt therapy" to identify the form of psychotherapy that he devel ...
and the public intellectual
Paul Goodman Paul Goodman (September 9, 1911 – August 2, 1972) was an American writer and public intellectual best known for his 1960s works of social criticism. Goodman was prolific across numerous literary genres and non-fiction topics, including the ...
.


Life and work

Lore was born in Pforzheim in 1905, the oldest of three siblings to a wealthy merchant family. Her mother came from an upper-middle class background, while her father had lower middle class roots and ran a successful jewellery business with his brother. Lore had two younger siblings, a sister (born 1907, murdered in
Theresienstadt Ghetto Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination c ...
in 1944) and a brother (born 1909, died 1996 in USA). Lore's upbringing was strongly influenced by her mother's class background and her father's wealth. The large family home was equipped with full-time cooks, maids and a
governess A governess is a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching; depending on terms of their employment, they may or ma ...
. In addition to this, Lore was instructed in dance and moving lessons from age 8, received ballet lessons at her private girls' school, and developed a keen interest in literature from a young age. She began playing the piano at age 5, demonstrated professional mastery by the time she was 18 and at various points considered becoming a professional musician. Later in life, she would integrate music and dance into her therapeutic practice. Lore became interested in social and political issues at age 15 following a mental breakdown. Worried about their daughter's wellbeing, Lore's parents had pressured her first boyfriend – who was twelve years her senior – to end the relationship. He eventually conceded, which led to Lore losing trust in her parents and significantly damaging her relationship with them. Her subsequent mental breakdown concluded in a several-month stay in a clinic in Freudenstadt, where she received psychoanalytical treatment from Dr Bauer, who based his approach on
Alfred Adler Alfred Adler ( ; ; 7 February 1870 – 28 May 1937) was an Austrian medical doctor, psychotherapist, and founder of the school of individual psychology. His emphasis on the importance of feelings of belonging, relationships within the family, a ...
's theories. During her time in the clinic, she made important connections with fellow patients whom she made music with and who also influenced her to study law at university. She also read Freud's
The Interpretation of Dreams ''The Interpretation of Dreams'' () is an 1899 book by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, in which the author introduces his theory of the unconscious with respect to dream interpretation, and discusses what would later become the t ...
and
The Psychopathology of Everyday Life ''Psychopathology of Everyday Life'' () is a 1901 work by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. Based on Freud's researches into slips and parapraxes from 1897 onwards, it became perhaps the best-known of all Freud's writings. Editoria ...
during this time. Upon her return to school seven months later, she was no longer one of the best students in class but instead showed great interest in social and political issues. She gave up the goal of becoming a pianist and instead began harbouring ambitions of studying and working in a socially engaged field. By 1923, Laura began studying law in Frankfurt but eventually switched to psychology and philosophy in 1926. Amongst others, she was taught by
Max Wertheimer Max Wertheimer (; April 15, 1880 – October 12, 1943) was a psychologist who was one of the three founders of Gestalt psychology, along with Kurt Koffka and Wolfgang Köhler. He is known for his book ''Productive Thinking'' and for conceiving the ...
,
Kurt Goldstein Kurt Goldstein (November 6, 1878 – September 19, 1965) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist who created a holistic theory of the organism. Educated in medicine, Goldstein studied under Carl Wernicke and Ludwig Edinger where he focused on ...
and Adhémar Gelb, the latter of whom later supervised her PhD thesis. She was also taught by
Edmund Husserl Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl (; 8 April 1859 – 27 April 1938) was an Austrian-German philosopher and mathematician who established the school of Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology. In his early work, he elaborated critiques of histori ...
,
Paul Tillich Paul Johannes Tillich (; ; August 20, 1886 â€“ October 22, 1965) was a German and American Christian existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran theologian who was one of the most influential theologians of the twenti ...
and
Martin Buber Martin Buber (; , ; ; 8 February 1878 – 13 June 1965) was an Austrian-Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a form of existentialism centered on the distinction between the I and Thou, I–Thou relationship and the Iâ ...
and would later repeatedly state in interviews that Husserl's school of
phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839â ...
had significantly influenced her work as a psychotherapist. In 1929 she married Friedrich (Fritz) Perls whom she had met during one of Goldstein and Gelb's lectures. Fritz had met
Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich ( ; ; 24 March 1897 â€“ 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author of several in ...
during a short visit in Vienna and began working with him as a patient soon after. Lore cited his influence on both her and Fritz's work, and credited Reich with significantly influencing their development of the Gestalt approach. Their daughter Renate was born in 1931, and their son (who later also became a psychotherapist) was born in 1935. Living in Berlin in the early 1930s, Lore and her husband became politically involved and felt connected to anti-fascist and communist organising, however they never joined the communist party. Upon the Nazis' rise to power in 1933, the Perls fled Germany for the Netherlands and in 1934 moved on to South Africa, where they stayed for 13 years. During their first months in South Africa, Lore's mother visited the young family and stayed for eight to nine months but returned to Hamburg soon after. Unable to secure visas for them to South Africa, Lore's mother, sister and niece would eventually all fall victim to the
Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. Lore's father had already succumbed to a heart attack in March 1933. While living in Johannesburg, the Perls established a psychoanalytical institute and wrote their first book
Ego, Hunger and Aggression: A Revision of Freud's Theory and Method
', published in 1942. While the book credits Fritz as the sole author, several chapters were written (almost) exclusively by Lore. This held true for several further publications. While developing their novel therapeutic approach, the couple debated possible names, eventually opting for "
Gestalt Therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes Responsibility assumption, personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's experience in the present moment, the therapist–client relationship, the environmental and social c ...
". The couple moved to New York in 1946/47. Lore had followed 18 months after Fritz's arrival together with their children. When her husband moved to the west coast, Lore continued running the New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy which they had co-founded together and soon counted Paul Goodman amongst her first clients. Having already read Goodman's work while living in South Africa and having been particularly interested in his article ''Politics and Partisan Reviews,'' the couple soon began working with him and Ralph Hefferline and co-published ''Gestalt Therapy: Excitement and Growth in the Human Personality'', although Laura remained unacknowledged as a contributor. By 1952, with the help of Paul Goodman, they had established The New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy (Fadiman & Frager, 2002). Following relational difficulties between the couple, Fritz moved to Big Sur in California for a residency at the
Esalen Institute The Esalen Institute, commonly called Esalen, is a non-profit American Retreat (spiritual), retreat center and intentional community in Big Sur, California, which focuses on humanism, humanistic alternative education. The institute played a ke ...
. These difficulties coincided with Lore's increasingly equal professional success as a psychotherapist, and caused tension in the relationship. Lore stayed on in New York and continued to run the original institute for nearly 30 more years, long after Fritz's death. Throughout his life but particularly upon his move to California, Fritz had failed to be there for his children and grandchildren, which caused long-term emotional pain to his family. Eventually, Lore took on the more American first name Laura. From 1969 onwards, Laura began visiting Europe every summer, holding workshops in England, the Netherlands, Belgium and later also Germany. During this time she further developed her approach to
supervision Supervision is an act or instance of directing, managing, or oversight. Etymology The English noun "supervision" derives from the two Latin words "super" (above) and "videre" (see, observe). Spelling The spelling is "Supervision" in Standard ...
by shifting the focus from the supervisee's client to the supervisee's inner world. Her husband died in 1970. Having moved back to her native Pforzheim to be closer to her daughter, Laura Perls died in Pforzheim in 1990 following complications with her thyroid. Having smuggled Fritz' ashes with her from New York, she was buried together with him in the Posner family grave in the Jewish cemetery in Pforzheim. The English edition of her only solo book
''Living at the Boundary''
was published posthumously in 1992.


References


External links


Edward Rosenfeld: AN ORAL HISTORY OF GESTALT THERAPY. Part 1. A conversation with Laura PerlsThe New York Institute for Gestalt Therapy, USA
founded by Fritz and Laura Perls, 1952

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perls, Laura 1905 births People from Pforzheim 1990 deaths German women psychologists Gestalt therapists Gestalt therapy 20th-century German psychologists