Figure 1.

The Consulcube ©

The house of Blake and Mouton, previously confined to the two

dimensions of the Grid, now becomes three-dimensional with the
Consulcube. This distillation of theory and fact, enriched by the varied
and long-term experience of the authors, is a solid contribution to the
field of applied behavioral science. Beginners will find Consultation a
stimulating resource; old-timers can applaud the neatness of the clas-
sification. Anyone who includes the label &dquo;consultant&dquo; on his &dquo;Who
Am I?&dquo; sheet will find this book a useful text for courses in organi-
zational behavior and a manual to consult in times of dilemma.

THE GROWING EDGE OF GESTALT THERAPY

Edward W. L. Smith
New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1976. xvi plus 239 pp., $12.95, hardbound.
There is an ever-widening gap between what is known from
behavioral science research and what is used in any kind of therapy or

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treatment group. Edward Smith has attempted to integrate a number of
key Gestalt concepts into a useful package for the reader who is in-
volved in Gestalt therapy, but I found much material that had implica-
tions for groups and organizations, especially the material about how
consultants and other &dquo;people helpers&dquo; use and abuse their power and
potency.
It is assumed that Gestalt therapy is not a rigidly defined, set-in-
concrete mode of operating. Rather, each therapist contributes his
experiences, skills, and learnings to help a person become more aware
of himself and ultimately to find more of what he wants out of life in
more productive ways. Self-knowledge, making authentic contact with
others, self-support, self-responsibility-each of these topics is ex-
plored as it pertains to both client and therapist. The author sees the
competent, self-actualizing therapist as one who paints his own stylistic
picture, reflecting his own unique wisdom and life experiences.
Part I of the book is devoted to an in-depth look at the origins of
Gestalt work. The relationship among Gestalt therapy, psychiatry, and
academic psychology is discussed and placed into perspective, and the
reader learns about people, places, and events that had significant
influence on Perls’s continuous unfolding as student, teacher, and
therapist.
Part II centers on the Gestalt approach as an open-ended, exper-
imental, ever-evolving blend of art, science, and technique. Five prac-
titioners in the field (Irma Shepherd, Robert Hall, Joen Fagan, Sheldon
Kapp, and Denis O’Donovan) contributed pieces. Concepts ranging
from brain research findings and their implications for Gestalt work to
the therapist as healer, potential charlatan, and savior make provocative
reading. Interspersed among serious writings are a number of delight-
ful anecdotes that go directly to the core of salient issues.
The impact of Jungian psychology on Perls’s work is explored in
Part III. The role of archetypes, the creative place of the unconscious,
the importance of the intuitive in human nature-each phenomenon is
considered in relation to a Gestalt way of thinking and living. The
readings in this section stretched my integrative powers, but I found
them rich in content.
The focus in Part IV is on combining Gestalt therapy with other
techniques and systems. Authors in this section provide important
input into the &dquo;growing edge&dquo; of Gestalt. An article incorporating
hypnosis with a Gestalt approach is included, along with pieces explor-
ing existential Gestalt therapy and Rogerian theory and their implica-
tions for Gestalt work.
There is an ever-growing interest in the United States in Eastern
philosophies that have found their way into the human potential
movement. People are hungry for different levels of psychological and
spiritual development. Fads abound. I was amused at a recentPsychol-
ogy Today article that states:&dquo;A diet of rice, nuts, and soybeans can’t

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turn American into a Yogi.&dquo;’ Part V considers the impact of Eastern
an

philosophy on the Gestalt approach. The article titled &dquo;Gestalt

Therapy, Tantric Buddhism and the Way of Zen&dquo; by George B. Greaves
warrants quoting:
1. They all share a strong &dquo;here and now&dquo; orientation.
2. They seek to resolve perceived polar opposites and polar conflicts
through the process of centering.
3. They view integration of the person, both within himself and within his
life space, as a major goal....
4. They place heavy emphasis on the process of continued growth. Zen
writings, in particular, are replete with examples of Zen masters con-
tinuing to be taught by their disciples to the point of their death, as well
as continuing the uninterrupted practice of the Way.

5. They place heavy emphasis on the existence of awareness systems other

than thinking as modalities of knowing the world, stressing that the
intellect is a highly incomplete system of knowing and experiencing the
world. Each approach would easily agree with Carl Jung’s concept of
the &dquo;four mental functions&dquo; of thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting
as equally valuable modalities of knowing the world, and could also
readily agree with Jung that a balance among the four mental functions,
or a centering among the four mental functions, would be the ideal state
of knowing the world.
6. They all stress the value and ultimate necessity of self-realization,
self-reliance, and ultimately self-actualization.
7. They involve a focusing of awareness in the here and now.
8. They are strongly oriented toward the accepting of experiences as
opposed to the analysis of experiences. Put another way, Gestalt
therapy, Tantrism and Zen are all non-analytical in nature.
9. They lay emphasis on developing a maximally-functioning (or as Rogers
would say, &dquo;a fully-functioning&dquo;) person, or, alternatively, an &dquo;ulti-
mately human&dquo; being. This striving for humanness is an obvious
antidote to neurotic functioning so eloquently described by Horney,
particularly in regards to her discussion of the neurotic person’s highly
overdeveloped and impossible to attain ego-ideal. (pp. 185-186)
I found it surprising that what we see as new and as the &dquo;cutting
is so well grounded in ancient traditions-traditions that con-
edge&dquo;
tinue to point out fresh directions for us to pursue in our personal and
professional development.
Laura Perls writes a succinct statement in Part VI about what, for
her, are the essential elements in Gestalt therapy: awareness, contact,
and support. She says:
In Gestalt therapy we work through the resistances by deautomatizing
those behavior patterns which have become impediments by bringing
them into the foreground where they can be experienced again as con-
scious activities that the patient can then take responsibility for: &dquo;This is

Psychology Today, September 1976, p. 36.

1

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 whatam doing. What does that do for me? Do I want to do that now? What
else could I do?&dquo; With the increasing awareness of how? where? when? to
what extent?, the why? either becomes self-evident or unimportant. We
can experiment with alternatives here and now, and change becomes
possible. (p. 222)
Of the numerous books currently on the market about Gestalt
therapy and training, I found that this one complemented others I have
read, rather than competed with them.

INTEGRATING THE ORGANIZATION

H. L. Fromkin and J. J. Sherwood (Eds.)
New York: The Free Press, 1974. 361 pp., $14.95, hardbound.

This powerful book is a collection of readings written by compe-

tent and socially aware behavioral scientists. The editors, well known
in the field of organization and social psychology, have focused on the
integration of minority groups into today’s complex organizations. The
following themes are developed: findings from social psychological
research on race relations; employment of minorities; minority occu-
pational choices; training disadvantaged persons; black culture and
personality; motivation patterns of minority persons; interracial per-
son perception and communication; leadership, power, and influence;
the role of social structure in integrating minorities; research on
school desegregation; and the need for power redistribution in racist
institutions. Black psychologist Dalmas Taylor captured for me the
essence of the struggle-the pain and slowness of change reflected by

many of the authors: &dquo;Integration, like slavery, is an institution de-

vised and defined by whites for blacks-without black input&dquo; (p. 341).
Although chapters are unevenly written-some focusing more on
research than on practical implications-there is good material here
for individuals who want to understand the reality of institutional
racism and discrimination and for those who want to move beyond
understanding to action. The writers take hard stands based on solid
theory and adequate research, and the editors have written succinct
introductions for each of the thirteen chapters.

HUMAN ENERGY: THE CRITICAL FACTOR FOR INDIVIDUALS AND

ORGANIZATIONS
John D. Ingalls
Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley, 1976. xviii plus 285 pp., $11.95,
hardbound.

There is a river of human energy that flows from ambiguity to

certainty-Type B energy (characterized by openness to experience,

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