Kohler, Wolfgang, << KUHL ur, VAWLF gahng >> (1887-1967), a German-born psychologist, is recognized as one of the founders of Gestalt psychology. Kohler studied psychology at the University of Berlin and received his Ph.D. in 1909. There he met the German psychologists Max Wertheimer and Kurt Koffka, with whom he developed the foundations of Gestalt psychology. Gestaltists argue that behavior is best understood when studied as an organized pattern rather than as separate parts. Kohler authored many books and papers, making significant contributions in the areas of learning, problem solving, and perception. His important books include The Mentality of Apes (1917), Physical Gestalt in Rest and Stationary States (1920), and Gestalt Psychology (1929).
Kohler was born to German parents in Reval, Estonia, on Jan. 21, 1887, and grew up in Germany. An outspoken critic of Adolf Hitler, he was forced to leave Germany in 1935. He immigrated to the United States, where he became professor of psychology at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Kohler became a U.S. citizen in 1946. He died on June 11, 1967.
See also Gestalt psychology ; Learning (Insight learning) .
