THE SOCRATIC QUESTIONING TECHNIQUE OF COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AS A THERAPEUTIC INSTRUMENT TO PROMOTE STRUCTURED REFLECTION AND WELL-BEING

Abstract

Amid the challenges and demands of modern life, where there is a growing need for strategies that help people better deal with their thoughts, feelings and emotions, the Socratic questioning technique emerges as a resource to promote mental clarity, self-reflection and emotional management, both to restructure dysfunctional thoughts and to generate new, more realistic interpretations of situations. Thus, the aforementioned object will have the proposal to develop a study on the Socratic questioning technique of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as a therapeutic approach that stimulates structured reflection and people's well-being, as an instrument that identifies dysfunctional thought and behavior patterns, which symbolizes the integration of theoretical foundations and clinical practice. The objective of this research is to reflect that this tool can help the patient develop a more realistic, adaptive and balanced understanding of experiences in coping with behavioral/emotional problems. The methodology will be based on a bibliographic review of specialized literature and empirical studies published in the last 20 years, based on scientific articles, books, theses and dissertations by renowned scholars in the field of Psychology and Psychotherapy: Bandura (2008); Beck (2007); Falcone (2006). The respective innovative approach represents a unique opportunity to integrate the theoretical foundations of CBT with clinical practice, being a method that uses questions designed to help patients modify automatic thoughts and irrational beliefs, through an investigative, structured and collaborative dialogue, which are carried out in individual, group, educational and organizational sessions. The importance of the object arises from the need for the individual to be able to critically examine the validity of automatic thoughts, both to identify dysfunctional cognitions and to transform negative emotions into more logical interpretations. Throughout the research, it was concluded that this approach is a flexible and adaptable therapeutic tool that involves a diversity of clinical contexts, which can reduce dysfunctional symptoms, improve psychological adaptation and strengthen patients' resilience.