Scott Miller

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Gestalt

APMCP Year 15 Online

The Gestalt principle states that the sum is greater than the whole of its parts.  Many small things create something bigger than just mass.  This is the idea behind ASEAN, Mercosur and the APMCP.    Each smaller part of the group contributes their own strength and benefits by the strength of the other parts of the group.  The Gestalt Principle is often theorized but in practice, do people really follow it?

The idea of a group is only popular if things are going well.  If successful, the group is commended for putting any differences aside for the common good.  Things may not have been able to work out on their own, but with each helping the other there was success.  But if the success leaves, so does the idea of teamwork.   The finger of blame will be pointed at the one who it is believed contributed to the fall from grace.  It is never that the group failed, but that an individual failed the group.  If the group was so strong, how could it falter?  It must be due to weak link.

People are controlled by their ego, the desire for recognition and the belief that they are special and can do something on their own.  This pulls them from their capacity to operate within a group. They are constantly waiting for the opportunity to leave the group and be individually recognized. Until people are ready to step away from the ego, the individual will always be the spoiler of success.