In this derivative sense, _Gestalt_ means "a problem (figure) that arises out of a situation (background) which motivates an individual to action." If his action is successful, his Gestalt is closed: the problem is resolved, and the motivation is fulfilled. Like the Gestalt of the psychologists, the closed Gestalt of therapy signifies an organized whole. In the example, the man suffering from thirst in the desert has a Gestalt that impels him to find water. When he does, his thirst is satisfied, and the Gestalt is resolved into a whole that no longer stands in need of completion. Perls saw life as a succession of unfinished situations, incomplete Gestalts. No sooner is one closed than another takes its place. To cope effectively with living, we must be able to deal with life's problems and challenges, yet not all of us can. Perls used the term _growth disorders_ to refer to what other therapists might call _personality disorders_ or _neuroses_. He believed that emotional problems result from "getting stuck" in the natural process of growth. People get stuck in childish patterns of dependency because of a variety of childhood experiences. For example, a mother and father may withdraw the support of a stable environment, while a child relies on this for a sense of security. (The example of Bobby in the chapter on {129} psychoanalysis may come to mind.) Or, parents may force a child to accept adult responsibilities prematurely. It is as if a child were asked to walk before his sense of balance and leg strength had developed sufficiently. The child will _learn_ uncertainty; his natural early fear of falling becomes pronounced and will leave a mark that can stand in his way later. Perls called such experiences _impasses_, and they form _blocks_ to a person's growth. For Perls, human personality is like a multilayered onion: From the most superficial, outside layer, moving inward, there is the usually insincere _cliché_ layer ("How are you?," asked without real interest), the _role-playing_ layer (the habitual masks of father, mother, businessperson, homemaker, therapist, client), the _impasse_ layer (the person stripped of clichés and masks, often very frightening), the _implosive_ layer (where emotions are either vented or explode inward), and the innermost layer, which makes up the _genuine_ personality as it is, freed from learned pretensions. The goal of Gestalt therapy is to reach this last layer. In a word, Gestalt therapy seeks to encourage the growth of _authenticity_--a combination of a balanced sense of reality, of inner integration complemented by its outward expression, personal integrity, and of independence from the need for the approval of others.