Fritz Perls
German-born psychiatrist who founded Gestalt therapy.
Fritz Perls was born in Berlin in 1893 and grew up immersed in the city’s bohemian and avant-garde art scenes, participating in Expressionism and Dadaism before the revolutionary leftward turn of that milieu. Despite family expectations that he would follow his uncle, a distinguished lawyer, into the legal profession, Perls chose to study medicine. He served in the German Army during World War I, spending time in the trenches. After the war, he completed his medical degree in 1920, specializing in neuropsychiatry, and became an assistant to Kurt Goldstein, who worked with brain-injured soldiers. Perls then gravitated toward psychoanalysis. In 1927, he joined Wilhelm Reich’s technical seminars in Vienna, and Reich’s concept of character analysis became a major influence; Reich later served as Perls’ supervising senior analyst in Berlin. In 1930, Perls married Laura Perls (born Lore Posner), with whom he had two children. Following the rise of the Hitler regime in 1933, the family—being of Jewish descent and involved in anti-fascist political activities—fled first to the Netherlands and then, in 1934, to South Africa. There, Perls established a psychoanalytic training institute. In 1936, he had a brief and unsatisfactory meeting with Sigmund Freud. During World War II, Perls served as an army psychiatrist in the South African military, reaching the rank of captain. His thinking was influenced by Jan Smuts’ philosophy of “holism.” While in South Africa, Perls co-wrote his first book, *Ego, Hunger, and Aggression* (1942), to which Laura contributed two chapters, though she was not credited in the later U.S. edition. The Perls family left South Africa in 1946, eventually settling in New York City, where Fritz worked briefly with Karen Horney and Wilhelm Reich. After a period of moving, including living in Montreal and working as a cruise ship psychiatrist, he settled in Manhattan. His second book, *Gestalt Therapy* (1951), was written with assistance from Paul Goodman, who drafted the theoretical section from Perls’ notes, and Ralph Hefferline, who contributed the experiential part. The work was influenced by Kurt Lewin and Otto Rank. Fritz and Laura then founded the first Gestalt Institute in their Manhattan apartment, and Fritz began traveling across the United States to conduct workshops and training. In 1960, he left Laura in Manhattan and moved to Los Angele
- born
- July 8, 1893, Berlin, Germany
- died
- March 14, 1970, Chicago, U.S.
- field
- Psychiatry, psychoanalysis, psychotherapy
- nationality
- German-born
- known_for
- Coining and developing Gestalt therapy
Verified Timeline
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1893-07-08
- Birth Place
- Berlin, German Empire
- Death Date
- 1970-03-14
- Death Place
- Chicago, Illinois, US
- Field
- Psychiatry, psychotherapy
- Known For
- Coining term: Gestalt Therapy
- Spouse
- Laura Perls
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Fritz Perls was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1893. He grew up in the bohemian scene in Berlin, participated in Expressionism and Dadaism, and experienced the turning of the artistic avant-garde toward the revolutionary left. Deployment to the front line, the trauma of war, antisemitism, intimidation, escape, and the Holocaust are further key sources of biographical influence. He was expected to practice law, following his distinguished uncle Herman Staub, but instead he studied medicine. Perls joined the German Army during World War I and spent time in the trenches. After the war in 1918 he returned to his medical studies graduating two years later, specializing in neuropsychiatry as a medical doctor, and then became an assistant to Kurt Goldstein, who worked with brain injured soldiers. Perls gravitated toward psychoanalysis. In 1927, Perls became a member of Wilhelm Reich's technical seminars in Vienna. Reich's concept of character analysis influenced Perls to a large extent. And in 1930 Reich became Perls' supervising senior analyst in Berlin. In 1930, Perls married Laura Perls (born Lore Posner) and they had two children together, Renate and Stephen. In 1933, soon after the Hitler regime came to power, being of Jewish descent and because of their anti-fascist political activities in the time before, Perls, Laura, and their eldest child Renate fled to the Netherlands, and one year later they emigrated to South Africa, where Perls started a psychoanalytic training institute. In 1936 he had a brief and unsatisfactory meeting with Freud. In 1942, Perls joined the South African army, and he served as an army psychiatrist with the rank of captain until 1946. While in South Africa, Perls was influenced by the 'holism' of Jan Smuts. During this period Fritz Perls co-wrote his first book, Ego, Hunger, and Aggression (published in 1942 and re-published in 1947). Laura Perls wrote two chapters of the book, although when it was re-published in the United States she was not given any recognition for her work.
Reader's Guide
Perls' significance lies in his creation of Gestalt therapy, a form of psychotherapy that shifted focus to present-moment awareness and the relationship between self and environment. His work, particularly through the 1951 book Gestalt Therapy co-authored with Paul Goodman and Ralph Hefferline, established a lasting therapeutic approach. Perls became associated with the Esalen Institute in 1964, where he lived until 1969, and his influence extended through workshops and training across the United States. His legacy includes the development of Gestalt institutes and the incorporation of Zen ideas into his practice. However, his approach has been criticized; psychoanalyst Jeffrey Masson accused Perls of sexism and physical and emotional abuse toward women, citing Perls' own autobiography where Perls wrote: 'Once I was called to a group to calm down a girl who attacked everyone in the group physically... I let her have it until I had her on the floor... I said, gasping: "I've beaten up more than one bitch in my life." Then she got up, threw her arms around me: "Fritz, I love you." Apparently she finally got what, all her life, she was asking for.' Others, like therapist Barry Stevens, described Perls as warm and gentle, writing: 'I know that Fritz doesn't like his arrogance, and along with it, he has such a beautiful humility.' The Gestalt prayer, often attributed to Perls, has been widely cited outside psychotherapy: 'I do my thing and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful. If not, it can't be helped.'
Did You Know?
- Perls was a heavy smoker, first experiencing cigarettes at age eight, then becoming a chain smoker due to his experiences in the Second World War.
- Perls used LSD recreationally during the 1960s.
- Perls practiced non-monogamy and had many sexual and romantic encounters outside of his marriage to Laura Perls.
- In 1969 Perls left Esalen and started a Gestalt community at Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island, Canada.
- Perls died of heart failure in Chicago on March 14, 1970, after heart surgery at the Louis A. Weiss Memorial Hospital.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Fritz Perls?
Fritz Perls was a German-born psychiatrist and psychotherapist best known for creating Gestalt therapy. He lived from 1893 to 1970 and practiced in both Europe and the United States.
What is Gestalt therapy and how did Perls develop it?
Gestalt therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach that Perls named and built during the 1940s and 1950s. It centers on a person's immediate awareness of sensations, emotions, and behavior in the present moment rather than on interpreting past events. Perls developed the method collaboratively with his wife, Laura Perls.
Where was Fritz Perls born and where did he die?
He was born in Berlin, Germany, on July 8, 1893. He passed away in Chicago, United States, on March 14, 1970.
Who did Fritz Perls develop Gestalt therapy with?
He built the approach alongside his wife, Laura Perls, over the course of the 1940s and 1950s. Their joint work shaped the core principles and terminology of the therapy that carries the 'Gestalt' label.
Why is Fritz Perls considered important in psychology?
He introduced a therapeutic framework that shifted attention from analyzing the past to attending to present-moment experience, bodily awareness, and contact with one's environment. His collaborative work with Laura Perls gave rise to an entire school of psychotherapy that remains widely practiced today.
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