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, to 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 he has said in relation to a topic (and answering a previous question), with the aim of getting to the crux  of the matter (that is, the beliefs more deeply rooted of the patient, to the essence of his thoughts and his 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 helps the person to go deeper into his own mind and reflect on what is happening to him. 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 is the one who 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 arrive at the answers that he needs for himself or to be able to recognize that he does not yet have the answers he needs (that he recognizes that he does not yet 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 responses. It is a matter of investigating, of “removing” layers until reaching the crux of the matter (the essential problem or the “key point”). In this way, 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 subject or a specific statement of the patient is chosen, which is considered true, and 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 in this regard and arrive at new answers.

Question types and example

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

It is not that the therapist “wants” the patient to answer 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 for the patient to reflect on what is happening to him.

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

• Therapist (T): What makes you think that you have a bad relationship with your brother?
• Patient (P): We have a bad relationship, we have never gotten along, we always argue.
• T: Why do you think you always argue?
• P: Because you’ve always thought I was envious of you.
• T: Why did you think that?
• P: Because when I was little my parents paid more attention to him, “he was the favorite”.
• T: How did it make you feel that he was the favorite?
• Etc.

The Socratic method can be lengthened more and more until it reaches the depths of the question posed by the therapist. As we see, it seeks to inquire 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 streams, although it is used mostly from the cognitive-behavioral stream. Its objective is to question the maladaptive beliefs of the patient.

In this way, the patient exposes a deeply rooted belief that causes him discomfort, and the therapist begins to inquire into it with the aim of questioning and “dismantling” it (rather, that the patient himself dismantles it).

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

A great method to reflect

As we have seen, the Socratic method 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 lead the patient.

It is also useful if we elaborate hypotheses around a patient’s problem, and we want him to reach a certain conclusion himself. Thus, it is a method that allows to mobilize the patient’s resources and take advantage of them so that they get to know, understand and feel better.