Perls defined anxiety as which of the following?

• A. Fear of the unknown
• B. A lack of self-control
• C. The distance between the now and later
• D. The result of unresolved past conflicts

Answer: (C)

In Gestalt therapy, anxiety is the tension that comes from the gap between what is happening in the present moment and what is anticipated to happen next. Perls teaches that awareness and contact occur in the now, so when a person feels a pull toward future possibilities without fully integrating those sensations into the current experience, anxiety arises. That sense of “distance” between the now and what comes later captures the gestalt view that present awareness is where growth and action occur.

The other ideas don’t fit this framework as neatly. Fear of the unknown is a broader worry about uncertainty, not the specific present-future gap Gestalt emphasizes. A lack of self-control targets behavioral regulation rather than the experiential tension between present experience and future possibilities. Unresolved past conflicts align more with psychodynamic explanations that focus on how past issues influence current behavior, rather than the here-and-now focus on awareness Perls champions.