Method for the shape recognition of an object in an external area of a motor vehicle, wherein by means of a control device of the motor vehicle, while the motor vehicle is moving relative to the object, an image (21, 22), which shows the object in front of a background of the external area, is generated by means of a camera at at least two different measuring instants (T0, T1), and - at least one scan line is defined in a first one of the images and a scan line corresponding to each scan line is defined in each of the other images, and - a profile resulting along the scan line is determined for each scan line of the first image for a predetermined image property, and a resulting corresponding profile is determined along the respectively corresponding scan line of each other image, and - at least one characteristic region is determined in the profile of each scan line of the first image, and - by comparing the profile of each scan line of the first image to the respectively corresponding profile of each other image, the at least one characteristic region is recognized in the respectively corresponding profile, wherein - for each characteristic region, a displacement distance (D0, D1, D2, D3) of the characteristic region along the respective scan line resulting between the measuring instants (T0, T1) is determined, whereby it is recognized how far the characteristic region has shifted in the other image along the respective scan line due to the movement of the motor vehicle relative to the object, wherein this movement is dependent on the distance of the respective image content, which is respectively either object or background, to the camera, and accordingly - a distinction is made between the object and the background along each scan line as a function of the determined displacement distance (D0, D1, D2, D3) of each characteristic region of the profile of the scan line, wherein - the scan lines and the corresponding scan lines have a course that corresponds to an image of a beam that virtually extends three-dimensionally in the external area at a predetermined height (He) straight away from the motor vehicle, wherein - the predetermined height in this case is an expected or known height (He) of the object, wherein the expected or known height (He) of the object results in an expected displacement distance (De), wherein - a distinction is made between the object and the background on the basis of a comparison of the determined displacement distance (D0, D1, D2, D3) and the expected displacement distance (De). - at least one scan line is defined in a first one of the images and a scan line corresponding to each scan line is defined in each of the other images, and - a profile resulting along the scan line is determined for each scan line of the first image for a predetermined image property, and a resulting corresponding profile is determined along the respectively corresponding scan line of each other image, and - at least one characteristic region is determined in the profile of each scan line of the first image, and - by comparing the profile of each scan line of the first image to the respectively corresponding profile of each other image, the at least one characteristic region is recognized in the respectively corresponding profile, wherein - for each characteristic region, a displacement distance (D0, D1, D2, D3) of the characteristic region along the respective scan line resulting between the measuring instants (T0, T1) is determined, whereby it is recognized how far the characteristic region has shifted in the other image along the respective scan line due to the movement of the motor vehicle relative to the object, wherein this movement is dependent on the distance of the respective image content, which is respectively either object or background, to the camera, and accordingly - a distinction is made between the object and the background along each scan line as a function of the determined displacement distance (D0, D1, D2, D3) of each characteristic region of the profile of the scan line, wherein - the scan lines and the corresponding scan lines have a course that corresponds to an image of a beam that virtually extends three-dimensionally in the external area at a predetermined height (He) straight away from the motor vehicle, wherein - the predetermined height in this case is an expected or known height (He) of the object, wherein the expected or known height (He) of the object results in an expected displacement distance (De), wherein - a distinction is made between the object and the background on the basis of a comparison of the determined displacement distance (D0, D1, D2, D3) and the expected displacement distance (De).