[273:] The concept of closure was introduced by WERTHEIMER in his paper on the
principles of perceptual organization (1923). Closure was considered as only one
of several Gestalt principles of organization, all assuming to be operating in the
direction of Prägnanz, a word used by WERTHEIMER to denote a tendency
for organization to be as "good" (as clear, as stable) as is possible
under prevailing conditions. Specifically, the principle of closure refers to the
tendency towards greater perceptual stability possessed by closed areas as compared
with enclosed ones, and hence to the tendency for closed areas to be more readily
attained and maintained in perception. But, in actual use, the concept of closure
has been given other and broader interpretations.
[281f:] Analysis of the utilization of the concept of closure left us with the
impression that a multiplicity of meanings is associated with the concept. To
begin with, "closure" is used, even in Gestalt psychological writings,
to denote
(1) a process,
(2) a resultant or terminating phase or consummation of the process, and,
finally,
(3) a principle underlying the process;
for example, the term "closure" has been applied to the process of
"completing" an incomplete circle, and to the perceived "completed"
circle itself, and finally to the principle or Gestalt law which is basal to
this process. Moreover, despite WERTHEIMERs denial that closure is necessarily
the dominant factor in organization, some current writings imply that a tendency
toward closure is necessarily the main, even the sole, factor in a sensory or
cognitive organization. Indeed, closure is sometimes used as if it were synonymous
with organization or with Prägnanz. Closure has also be used
as if it were synonymous with insight or with any restructurization
of the field. It has been used to denote the act of extracting meaning from
the environment and the act of deducing conclusions. In addition, the term is
sometimes employed as if it were equivalent to the terms Gestalt and
good Gestalt.
Some example of the diversity of the meanings which may be attached to the term,
even by the same writers, can be obtained by scanning through a text such as
ALLPORT and POSTMANs (1947) on the psychology of rumor. They speak of "closure"
as the achievement of a "better Gestalt" or as the achievement of
a "simpler, more significant configuration" (p. 56), or as a "form
of sharpening" (p. 97), or as "the subject's urge to make his experiences
as complete, coherent and meaningful as possible" (p. 97). Noting that
"we continually seek to extract meaning from our environment" (p.
37), they speak of the "pursuit of a 'good closure'" as the search
for a "plausible reason for a confused situation" (p. 37); they also
refer to a "good closure" as an experience, writing: "We experience
a good closure when we find satisfying explanations and when our view of a situation
is clear and stable" (p. 37, n.).
I would probably be futile to get involved here in any discussion of whether
it is proper for a psychological concept to have so many meanings. Certainly
the ambiguity does not add to the clarity of writings pertaining to closure.
Perhaps it may add to the meaningfulness and usefulness of the concept of closure
if the term is used only when evidence is available that a process of closure
(in the sense originally used by WERTHEIMER) is operative. In particular, attempts
to account for rigidity in terms of closure (or vice versa) or to relate rigidity
to closure, will generate less confusion if the term closure is explicitly defined
and if the evidence supporting a process of closure is clearly presented. Personally,
we advocate a moratorium on the use of this term despite the current popularity
of Gestalt terminology.
WERTHEIMER, M. (1923): Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt,
II. Psychol. Forsch., 4: 301-89. Condensed in Selection 22 in
W.D. ELLIS (ed.), 1938, A source book of Gestalt psychology. New York: Harcourt,
Brace.
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