Gestalt, the Good and the concept of Ethical Presence

Abstract

Abstract: Building on the core Relational Change ‘SOS’ framework and the central notion of presence, this paper makes the case for introducing a new concept of Ethical Presence as a foundational orientating principle for relational and Gestalt praxis. It begins by highlighting the risks of harm and evil in polarising presence and dismissing aspects of power and privilege that are frequently lying implicitly alongside notions of presence. This in turn leads to an examination of Lewin’s core organising principle that ‘needs organise the field’ from a dialogic as well as phenomenological perspective, which results in a relational reformulation. Ethical Presence is a concept that synthesises the dialectic of egological and ecological self-organisation while attending to others and the situation. Finally, the paper proposes that practitioners reflexively inquire, through the elevation of a dialogic and field orientated stance, and assess the presence of themselves and others since, when I judge myself as ‘present’, an ecological ethical perspective asks what factors in the wider field (power, privilege, etc.) support me to be that way? Keywords: ethics, presence, Ethical Presence, ecological, egological, relational, Gestalt, evil, Lewin.