Although everything in the perceptual field does influence everything else, it is also true that some figures are more resistant to contextual influences than others. Figures that tend to resist such influences called strong figures or “good gestalts” generally share the properties of simplicity, regularity, and symmetry. In addition, such figures tend to be “closed,” that is, they are surrounded by a continuous, unbroken contour, a property called “closure.” For example, a circle, because it is simple, regular, symmetrical, and closed, is a very strong figure. Squares, rectangles, and triangles (which are also simple, regular, symmetrical, and closed) are also considered strong figures. However, these figures are not as simple as the circle (because they have corners). Neither are they as symmetrical (circles are symmetrical with respect to any axis but squares, rectangles, and triangles are not).

Strong figures resist change or disintegration under poor viewing conditions or variations in the viewer’s attention. Further, strong figures tend to win out in competition with weaker figures.