Final answer:
Option (b), The critical difference between early Gestalt therapy and relational Gestalt therapy lies in the approach to confrontation.
Step-by-step explanation:
A critical difference between early Gestalt therapy and relational Gestalt therapy is (b) the approach to confrontation. While early Gestalt therapy focused on direct confrontation as part of the therapeutic process, relational Gestalt therapy has evolved to place more emphasis on the therapeutic relationship, including contact and dialogue between client and therapist.
In early Gestalt therapy, confrontation was used to heighten awareness and facilitate direct experiences of the present moment. In contrast, relational Gestalt therapy adopts a gentler approach, emphasizing the relational aspects and co-creation of experience between therapist and client, influenced by the principles of contact as described by Page and Berkow (1994) in "Unstructured group therapy: Creating contact, choosing relationship." This reflects a broader shift in psychotherapy from a focus on the therapist's directivity to a mutual, relational process.
Gestalt therapy, as part of the humanistic approach, underscores the importance of looking at individuals as a whole rather than dissecting them into parts. This holistic approach is consistent with the Gestalt principles of figure formation process and figure-ground relationship in perception, which focus on how we organize sensory information as a whole rather than as isolated elements.