Socratic Method: what it is and how it is applied in psychology

We all have a lot of questions in our heads that we would like to find a solution to. And finding an answer to them is complex at best. We often look to others for the solution, even though what we really need is to find our own answer.

With regard to major philosophical issues such as ethics or morality or even at the level of therapy, a method whose origins go back to Ancient Greece is useful. Specifically, to the figure of Socrates. This is the Socratic method., which we are going to talk about throughout this article.

• Related article: "The contributions of Socrates the Greek to Psychology"

The Socratic method: what is it?

We understand by the Socratic method a methodology through which it is proposed that the human being be able to mature and mobilize his resources and reflect on the problems that torment him. The aim of the Socratic method or of the Socratic dialogue is not to give an answer to the questions of others, but rather to that of favoring that this person may be able to delve into their own psyche and reflection in order that this develop his own knowledge for himself.

In itself, the Socratic method consists rather of a dialogue between two or more people, in which one guides the other, through a series of questions and using resources such as irony, towards the resolution of their doubts and conflicts. Said guide is merely assistance, being in the end the subject who finds the solution by himself. In fact, technically it is not even necessary for you to give an answer, it is also valid for you to admit ignorance regarding a specific fact or aspect.

Generally, the questions that arise from the subject are answered by means of another question from the person who is applying the method, in such a way that the thought of the subject to whom it is applied is led in a specific direction without thereby modifying their ways of thinking in a way direct.

So, the main thing in this method is the use of inductive type questions, making use of own resources in the desired direction. Regarding the type of questions in question, they tend to be relatively simple, based on three main particles: What, How and Why.

The basic operation is in the first place to choose a specific topic or affirmation that is considered true and examine it little by little in such a way that it is falsified and refuted, and subsequently generate new knowledge regarding the subject in question.

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The origin: maieutics

The origin of the Socratic method is found in the figure from whom it takes its name: Socrates, the Greek philosopher This author elaborated a dialectical method with the purpose of helping to find one's own individual truth, or even to defend minority positions.

The process was relatively simple to explain, although its realization is more complicated than it seems: First, irony was used with in order to make the student or person with whom they were in dialogue, asking a series of questions regarding the meaning of a premise previously chosen so that little by little he began to doubt it and even ended up admitting ignorance on the subject and could even reduce it to the absurd.

After that, the maieutics, or the Socratic method itself, was used: the interrogator went on to guide the thought process of the interlocutor through the dialogue, and by asking relatively simple questions, proposing and using the subject's resources to generate a new truth or opinion of the individual regarding the premise in question, a new knowledge of what is really known.

Application of the Socratic method in psychotherapy

The Socratic method, although it has an ancient origin, is still valid today, in different forms. The world of education is one of the fields in which it can be applied, another of which is the health field. Within the latter, we must highlight its use within clinical and health psychology.

The application of the Socratic method is common in psychotherapy, regardless of the theoretical model, given that it is proposed as a way to mobilize and take advantage of the patient's own resources to achieve their improvement.

One of the psychological currents that uses it the most is the cognitive-behavioral one, being the most easily identifiable example of the use of the Socratic method. questioning maladaptive beliefs: the subject exposes a deeply rooted thought or belief that causes him suffering or discomfort (or alters his behavior, generating it in others), such as the idea of ​​being useless.

The therapist can inquire into what it means to be useless, in what situations does this idea appear, what consequences would it have or the fears that may be behind it, until reaching a point where the subject could not make a deeper introspection (to a large extent, it was they use techniques such as the downward arrow in which they seek to delve deeper into what is behind a thought or belief concrete). After that, the session could be redirected asking if there could be alternative interpretations and later the patient would be sought to reconstruct his vision of reality in a more adaptive way with his own resources. It is a process linked to cognitive restructuring.

Likewise, another type of therapy that uses the Socratic method is logotherapy, within the phenomenological-existentialist models. In this case, the Socratic method is used as one of the main techniques used to reactivate the patient's resources and achieve meaning in her life. In this sense, it helps the subject to discover himself, generate alternatives, be responsible for his own choices and try to transcend. Values ​​and perceptions are worked on, among many other concepts.

These are just two examples of therapies that employ the Socratic method. However, its use is very common in practically all kinds of therapies within clinical psychology.

Bibliographic references:

• Eliecer, J. (2005). The Socratic method in higher education. National Pedagogical University.
• Martinez, E. (s.f.). Socratic dialogue in meaning-focused psychotherapy. Society for the Advancement of Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy. Available in: http://www.saps-col.org/saps/new/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/El-dialogo-socr%C3%A1tico-en-la-psicoterapia-centrada-en-el-sentido.pdf.
• Partarieu, A. (2011). Socratic dialogue in cognitive psychotherapy. Third International Congress of Research and Professional Practice in Psychology. XVIII Research Conference. Seventh Meeting of MERCOSUR Psychology Researchers. Faculty of Psychology. Buenos Aires' University. Buenos Aires.
• sure, c. (2017). The Socratic method today. For a dialogic teaching and practice of philosophy. Madrid: School and May.