Law of Closure

Once or twice a day (usually at work), I have others ask me what the tattoo on my arm is- what it’s meaning is. “A triangle,” they say.. and then giggle. A triangle, yes, but it’s much much more.. and more than just a cover up..

Gestalt, is a world-famous psychologist who is most well known for his therapeutic approach, model, interventions. A simple google search will tell you “Gestalt psychology is an attempt to understand the laws behind the ability to acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions in an apparently chaotic world.”

Chaotic world- HA! If only it was that simple.

Following an unexpected divorce, I was left with the roman numerals of my wedding day on a part of my body part that I see every single day. I knew it had to go, as the sight of it only brought me sadness and pain.

But, I also knew that I didn’t want something original and obvious. (like a giant rose which is what everyone was telling me was my only option for covering it up) I couldn’t have anything that screamed “MISTAKE” to me.

You know why? Because my marriage was not a mistake. It was a huge part of my life and I’m thankful for every moment of it. It made me who I am today and has built me up to be stronger, braver, and more independent. It has brought me to where I am today which is full of happiness and excitement.

Therefore, I wanted a “cover-up” that was going to mean something to me. Something that would remind me every day of the courage, strength, and gratitude I have in my present life, because of my past life.

Looking at the tattoo, you see an incomplete triangle. It is almost perfect, aside from the missing piece near one of the corners…

As a future psychologist, I am always trying to read people and psychoanalyze every situation. But sometimes it’s hard to look at ourselves and do the same thing. After everything I went through, I felt like a bunch of different puzzle pieces, that didn’t exactly make a whole but yet I was able to identify a beautiful picture.

That is when Gestalt came to mind. Gestalt has what is called the “Law of Closure” which is a theory on how our perceptions are formed and our minds work. I’m sure just reading the word “closure” one would think that it has to be in a sense of “moving on” and “ending a chapter” and all of those analogies.

Except- this was something different.

Gestalt’s Law of Closure explains how the brain is able to perceive forms and figures in their complete appearance despite the absence of one or more of their parts. These parts may be hidden, or even completely absent.

Looking at my current life I see it as though I may not have all of the pieces, I am still whole. I am able to be whole not matter if all of the pieces are there, or not.

It’s all about perception.

It also is a reminder of my past life and how I was not living the best version of myself. My life was perceived as a whole, as complete, even though there were missing pieces.

It’s all about perception.

You know those shapes and circles and triangles…. though they do not have all of their sides and have missing parts to make it complete.