Existential, Person-Centered, and Gestalt Therapy Compared
This paper provides a literature review of three major humanistic therapeutic frameworks—existential therapy, person-centered therapy, and gestalt therapy—examining how each is practiced in the 21st century. Drawing on foundational theorists such as Rollo May, Carl Rogers, and gestalt psychology scholars, the paper outlines each therapy's philosophical underpinnings, the role of the therapist, key techniques, and treatment goals. It then identifies core similarities shared across all three approaches—including phenomenological orientation, emphasis on personal empowerment, and openness to spirituality—before highlighting their most significant differences in therapeutic method, therapist role, and focal concerns.
- Introduction: Three humanistic therapies introduced and framed
- Existential Therapy: Existential themes, freedom, meaning, and therapist role
- Person-Centered Therapy: Rogers, self-actualization, and passive therapist role
- Gestalt Therapy: Holism, patterns, and systematic therapeutic methods
- Core Similarities: Shared humanistic values across all three therapies
- Core Differences: Diverging roles, techniques, and therapeutic focal points
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses a consistent comparative structure, presenting each therapy on its own terms before synthesizing similarities and differences, which makes the analysis easy to follow.
- It grounds each framework in its philosophical origins (existentialism, Rogerian theory, gestalt psychology), giving the comparative claims a solid conceptual foundation.
- The dedicated "Core Similarities" and "Core Differences" sections distill the preceding analysis into clear, usable takeaways without simply restating earlier content.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates systematic comparative literature review: each therapy is introduced with its defining theoretical commitments, then positioned relative to the others. Direct quotations from primary scholarly sources are used to anchor descriptive claims, while the author's own synthesis appears in the comparative sections—a clean separation of source evidence from analytical argument.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing introduction that establishes the three therapies as related but distinct humanistic traditions. Three body sections (one per therapy) follow in parallel order. Two closing sections—"Core Similarities" and "Core Differences"—synthesize the earlier material under thematic subheadings. The references list follows APA format with full source details including chapter locations within edited volumes.
Introduction
Existential therapy, person-centered therapy, and gestalt therapy all fall under the rubric of humanistic psychology. They share a considerable amount of theory, philosophy, and practice. Yet each of these approaches is grounded in its own theoretical framework; therefore, existential, person-centered, and gestalt therapies differ in key ways. Recent scholarship on all three traditions builds on a rich canon of literature but is more than merely summative. The following review of literature shows how existential therapy, person-centered therapy, and gestalt therapy are practiced in the 21st century, and in so doing reveals the similarities and differences between these three humanistic psychological frameworks.
References
Ceil, C. (2012). Person-centered therapy. Social Science Electronic Publishing. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2051484
Corey, G. (2008). The existential approach to groups. Chapter 9 in Theory and Practice of Group Counseling. Cengage.
Crocker, S. F., & Philippson, P. (2005). Phenomenology, existentialism, and Eastern thought in gestalt therapy. Chapter 4 in Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory and Practice. Sage.
Geller, J. D. (2003). Self-disclosure in psychoanalytic-existential therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(5), 541–554.
Ingersoll, R. E., & O'Neill, B. (2005). Gestalt therapy and spirituality. Chapter 8 in Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory and Practice. Sage.
Luke, M. (2010). Person-centered therapy. Chapter 9 in Integrating the Expressive Arts into Counseling Practice. Springer.
Melnick, J., Nevis, S. M., & Shub, N. (2005). Gestalt therapy methodology. Chapter 6 in Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory and Practice. Sage.
Parlett, M., & Lee, R. G. (2005). Contemporary gestalt therapy: Field theory. Chapter 3 in Gestalt Therapy: History, Theory and Practice. Sage.
Schneider, K. J., & Krug, O. T. (2010). Existential-Humanistic Therapy. Washington, DC: APA Books.
Williams, S. A. (2007). Person-centered therapy. Chapter 10 in Anxiety Disorders: A Practitioner's Guide to Comparative Treatments. Ed. DiTomaso, R. A. Springer Publishing.
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