The law of symmetry is a Gestalt psychology principle holding that the mind perceives objects as symmetrical and organized around a central point whenever the visual information allows for that interpretation. When separate, unconnected elements that are each symmetrical appear together in a scene, the visual system tends to perceptually link them into a single coherent symmetrical shape rather than perceiving them as several disconnected pieces.
Facts
Core ClaimWertheimer 1923 account named symmetry, alongside closure and equilibrium, as one of the whole-properties of a perceptual field that determine how the mind organizes it into a good Gestalt. 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of Phenomenon Sources
1. Laws of Organization in Perceptual Forms (Wertheimer, 1923)
Max Wertheimer, Classics in the History of Psychology (York University), 1923passage on whole-properties preceding the closure discussion
the addition must be viewed also in terms of such characteristic "whole properties" as closure, equilibrium, and symmetry.
publication note beneath the Max Wertheimer (1923) title heading
First published as Untersuchungen zur Lehre von der Gestalt II, in Psycologische Forschung, 4, 301-350.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.