Kurt Goldstein

Kurt Goldstein (November 6, 1878 – September 19, 1965) was a German neurologist and psychiatrist who created a holistic theory of the organism.

Educated in medicine, Goldstein studied under Carl Wernicke and Ludwig Edinger where he focused on neurology and psychiatry.

His clinical work helped inspire the establishment of The Institute for Research into the Consequences of Brain Injuries.

Goldstein was forced to leave Germany when Hitler came to power because of his Jewish heritage.

In 1903, Ludwig Edinger invited Goldstein to the Senckebergisches Neurologisches Institut at the University of Frankfurt where he became Edinger's assistant (Oct 1903 - Sept 1904).

Edinger became one of the most influential figures in Goldstein's career.

After a stint in Königsberg, Goldstein returned to work with Edinger in 1914 at the Neurological Institute in Frankfurt as first assistant.

Their goal was to investigate comparative neuroanatomy and neuropathology.

From 1917 to 1927, Goldstein yielded conceptual aspects of neurological conditions including tonus disturbances, agnosia, aphasia, apraxia, and general behavioral changes after a brain injury.

After Edinger's death in 1918, Goldstein became acting director of the Neurological Institute.

In July 1922, he was appointed associate professor for Neurology and director of the Neurological Institute.

In 1923, he assumed the role of professor of neurology.

In 1926, Fritz Perls became Goldstein's assistant for a year.

In 1927, Goldstein was instrumental in organizing the International Society for Psychotherapy.[NAS1]  He published material on the roles of the nurse, physician and social worker for inpatient care of brain-injured patients.

Perls married Laura Posner in 1930.

They would go on to become the co-developers of Gestalt therapy.

Goldstein's research and theory had a considerable influence on the formation of this new psychotherapy.

Later that year, Goldstein accepted a position at the University of Berlin and the director of neurology at Berlin-Moabit General Hospital.

The hospital was established for Goldstein's patients to study their neurological conditions.

After being displaced, Goldstein wrote The Organism (1934).

This focused on patients with psychological disorders, particularly cases of schizophrenia and war trauma, and the ability of their bodies to readjust to substantial losses in central control.

His holistic approach to the human organism produced the principle of self actualization, defined as the driving force that maximizes and determines the path of an individual.

Later, his principle influenced Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

He was the co-editor of Journal of Humanistic Psychology.

Goldstein was born into a Jewish family the seventh of nine children.

He lived in Upper Silesia in an eastern part of the German empire with his family.

Goldstein's father was a successful owner of a lumberyard.

Although not formally educated, Goldstein's father held scholarship in high regard.

He felt that a good education was the most proper way to prepare for life, and because of this, ensured that all his sons obtained university degrees.

As a child, Goldstein was described as being shy, quiet, and bookish amidst his bustling surroundings.

His love of reading earned him the nickname of "Professor" at the public school he attended in Kattowitz.

The Goldstein family relocated to the metropolitan city of Breslau after a few years, where Goldstein attended the Humanistische Gymnasium.

After graduation, Goldstein planned to study philosophy at the university level.

His father did not approve of this venture, as he considered it an unprofitable art, and sent Goldstein to work at a relative's business.

After a short period working at that business, Goldstein's father reluctantly allowed him to enroll at Breslau University.

Goldstein stayed there for only one semester before he transferred to the University of Heidelberg where he was able to pursue the study of Neo-Kantian philosophy and literature where he was introduced to the concepts of Carl Wernicke.

One year later, Goldstein made his way back to Breslau where he studied medicine, much to his father's satisfaction.

Under the instruction of Wernicke, Goldstein focused his study on neurology and psychiatry.

Goldstein obtained his medical degree at the age of 25.

In 1938, he was to read the William James Lectures on Philosophy and Psychology at Harvard and these were later published.