What is the Socratic method and how is it applied in psychology?

Psychotherapy is a tool that allows us to know ourselves better. and, above all, improve our mood and enhance our well-being. A resource that is used in this context, especially from the cognitive-behavioral orientation, is the Socratic method.

Broadly speaking, this method consists of asking the patient questions about the last thing they said in relation to a topic (and answering a previous question), with the aim of reaching the crux of the issue (that is, to the patient’s most deeply rooted beliefs, to the essence of his thoughts and conflicts, etc.). What exactly does it consist of and how is it applied in psychology?

What is the Socratic method?

The Socratic method is a method that allows the person to go deeper into their own mind and reflect on what happens to them. It is a dialogue between two or more people, one of whom guides the other or others through a series of questions.

The person who acts as a guide, in this case the therapist, accompanies the patient so that he himself finds the answers he needs to move forward. Through this method, other resources are also used, such as irony and the resolution of doubts and conflicts.

The objective is for the patient to reach the answers he needs on his own or to be able to recognize that he does not yet have the answers he needs (to recognize that he still does not know what he wants or what he needs).

How is it done?

Through the Socratic method, the therapist links questions based on the patient’s answers. It is about investigating, “removing” layers until you reach the crux of the issue (to the essence of the problem or the “key point”). Thus, the therapist responds with another question to the subject’s response.

The idea is to guide the patient’s thinking towards the root, towards the depths of his psyche, but without influencing him, that is, without modifying his way of thinking.

The general operation is as follows: a topic or a specific statement by the patient is chosen, which is considered true, and it is examined little by little so that it can either be confirmed or falsified. If it is falsified, the idea is that later the patient can generate new knowledge about it and come up with new answers.

Types of questions and example

The questions that are asked through the Socratic method are, in general, of an inductive type. Inductive questions subtly direct the person’s response based on the therapist’s goals.

It is not that the therapist “wants” the patient to respond one thing or another, but rather that he wants him to reach a conclusion according to some previous hypotheses (or at least, to reach the deepest part of his conflict). These are fairly simple questions that answer questions such as: “What?”, “how?”, “why?” And for what?”. They are above all “why” questions, which seek to investigate the cause of the problem or get the patient to reflect on what is happening to them.

An example of the Socratic method would be the following. The patient states “I get along very badly with my brother,” and as therapists, we begin the process by asking him the following:

Therapist (T): What makes you think that you get along badly with your brother? Patient (P): That we have a bad relationship, we have never gotten along, we always argue. T: Why do you think you always argue? ?P: Because he has always thought that I was envious of him.T: Why have you thought that?P: Because when I was little my parents devoted more attention to him, “he was the favorite.”T: How did it make you feel that he Was it the favorite? Etc.

The Socratic method can be extended more and more until reaching the deepest part of the question posed by the therapist. As we see, The aim is to investigate through the last thing the patient says.

The Socratic method in psychology

How is the Socratic method applied in psychotherapy? It can be applied from different currents, although it is used above all from the cognitive-behavioral current. Its objective is to question the patient’s maladaptive beliefs.

Thus, the patient exposes a deep-rooted belief that causes discomfortand the therapist begins to investigate it with the aim of questioning it and “dismantling” it (rather, having the patient himself dismantle it).

It is a method that invites reflection, questioning and introspection. Fundamental tools in psychotherapy, very focused on the person knowing themselves better and being the one who reaches their own conclusions, as well as developing their own resources.

A great method to reflect

As we have seen, the Socratic method It is very useful to promote reflection in the patient. To apply it, we must know exactly what our goal is as therapists. It is not just about asking questions, but about knowing why we ask those questions and where we want to take the patient.

It is also useful if we develop hypotheses about a patient’s problem, and we want him to reach a certain conclusion himself. Thus, it is a method that allows mobilizing the patient’s resources and taking advantage of them so that you know, understand and feel better.

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