Iterating: the Gestalt Cycle of Experience
Similarly to Agile methodologies, Gestalt therapy defines processes described through a cycle. Each individual goes through it when it involves satisfying a need.
Individuals can experience the satisfaction of their needs by entering in contact with the environment. In Gestalt therapy, the self isn’t seen as a static thing but rather as a continually evolving process that’s defined by how an individual makes contact along with their environment.
There is a moment where a bunch of sensations emerge inside us. It then becomes excitation and at last, it turns into a shape (into a gestalt) like hunger, thirsty, etc.
The self then needs to activate energy and actions. There is the sole excitation, in the beginning. Then it appears the choice — or the rejection — for the chance to satisfy the risen necessity. So individuals put the full body and mind to satisfy that creatively.
At the third stage, perception, action, and feelings are all aligned: the self finds satisfaction in what’s doing. Eventually, the excitation disappears and it becomes relaxation. The experience ends and the healthy individual can integrate it and they grow.
This process generally follows a cycle called the cycle of experience, which ideally could be completed in a healthy and unimpeded way if it is not interrupted.
It was developed by Joseph Zinker around 1977 supported by the primary definitions Fritz Perls gave.
This cycle could be a basic map for a way someone becomes attentive to a necessity, mobilises to satisfy that requirement, and achieves satisfaction.
The key phases are:
- Sensation
- Awareness
- Mobilisation
- Action
- Contact
- Withdrawal
Interruption of the cycle
Interruptions may interfere with every phase of the cycle. The contact interruption is a repetitive process, a strategy, we all have learnt to flee the pain. The subsequent are the foremost common interruption mechanisms Gestalt therapy identifies:
- Between Rest and Sensation, there is the Repression of feelings.
- Between Sensation and Awareness, there is the Projection of our parts towards the others.
- Between Awareness and Mobilisation, there is the Introjection that recalls outer beliefs.
- Between Mobilisation and Action, the Retroflexion is moving the energy against us.
- Between Action and Contact, there is the Deflexion as a movement towards the loss of interests.
- Between Contact and Widthrawal, there is the Confluence remaining in contact with the experience.
This is just a brief description. I’m going to discuss them in an exceedingly more detailed article.
Group Cycle of Experience
In 1980, Zinker continued to develop the cycle of experience. He applied it to groups and group development. Similar to the individual cycle, he created a group cycle of awareness — excitement — contact.
The group could learn to observe its process and how its cycle of experience had been interrupted. Once the awareness of the interruptions was created, the flow of the group through differing cycles would be more “fluid”.
Combining it with the individual cycle of experience, the group members, as well as the group leader/facilitator, would have the means to track both the individual and group levels of experience. Individually and as a group, the participants “learn to work with and help each other without relying on the group leader”.
Extending the cycle from the individual to the group, revealed there are two simultaneous and distinct levels of behaviour: the particular dynamics of a group which are defined by the participants' traits and features; the group-level dynamics which are determined by how the group, as a group, engages itself.
Extending the Cycle of Experience to Organisations
The individual and group cycles of experience have been expanded in Organisation Development programs for at least the last 30 years. They have extended the theory in a way that the cycle of experience could be applied to all forms of organisation.
Just as the individual or group moves through their phases, the organisation has got a similar cycle of experience at the organisational level:
- Sensation becomes scanning — The individual cycle begins with sensation / the group and the organisational cycle begin by scanning itself and the environment to find needs and identify key issues.
- Awareness becomes conceptualisation — Awareness develops through conceptualising what has been scanned into an image or reality that evolves into a common picture.
- Mobilisation becomes the commitment to energy — If a compelling picture surfaces, the group or organisation mobilises energy through the commitment of resources to the picture by discussing potential directions, establishing the level of commitment, developing pilot programs, stating themes that will be tracked, and moving forward.
- Action becomes the movement — Action surfaces as the movement towards the compelling picture is initiated through plans and change directives.
- Contact becomes the change of boundaries — Contact becomes a change at the boundary between the organisation and the environment through the implementation of the planned actions, creating change through impact upon the group or organisation and the environment.
- The withdrawal becomes the assessment — Closure and withdrawal evolve from the assessment of what happened and the fulfilment or creation of the compelling picture. The group or organisation returns to the scanning stage.
An example of the application of the Cycle of Experience to Agile
I came up with this brief idea on how the cycle phases could fit with Scrum, for example, where the Sprint is the whole process and the Sprint Goal is the need. It is a quite broad similarity just made up to show how the cycle could be identified with the entire iteration in this case. This can be seen appearing during each Scrum ceremony as well, which is be a more specific application of that:
Sensation (Scanning)
The Sprint, Sprints are the heartbeat of Scrum, where ideas are turned into value. A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint.
Awareness (Conceptualisation)
In Scrum, this could correspond to Sprint Planning.
Sprint Planning initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed for the Sprint. This resulting plan is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team.
Mobilisation/Action (Commitment to energy)
Daily Scrum inspects progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapts the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work.
Contact (Change of Boundaries)
Product Backlog refinement is the act of breaking down and further defining Product Backlog items into smaller more precise items.
Resolution/Closure (Assessment)
Sprint Retrospective plans ways to increase quality and effectiveness.
Withdrawal (Appreciation)
Sprint Review inspects the outcome of the Sprint and determines future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed.