Kurt Goldstein (1878-1965) was a neuropsychologist whose holistic approach to understanding the organism profoundly influenced Fritz Perls and the development of Gestalt therapy. Goldstein’s work with brain-injured soldiers in World War I led him to reject the prevailing reductionist approach to neurology and instead develop a holistic theory of the organism.
Goldstein’s key insight was that the organism always functions as a whole — damage to one part affects the entire system. His concept of self-actualisation as the organism’s fundamental drive preceded Maslow’s more famous formulation by decades. For Perls, Goldstein’s work provided a scientific foundation for treating the person as an integrated whole rather than a collection of symptoms or drives.