SOCRATE vs. critical thoughts: Preliminary results on an Application for Socratic Dialogue Intervention

Authors

  • Vanda Lamberti Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italia. Corresponding author:vanda.lamberti@unicampania.it
  • Francesco Caputo Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italia
  • Elena Piscopo Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italia
  • Guido Almaviva Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italia
  • Alessio Lustro Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italia
  • Alessandro Couyoumdjian Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italia
  • Micaela Di Consiglio Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italia
  • Vittoria Zaccari Associazione di Psicologia Cognitiva APC e Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva SPC, Rome, Italy
  • Amelia Gangemi Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Università di Messina, Messina, Italia
  • Francesco Mancini Associazione di Psicologia Cognitiva APC e Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva SPC, Rome, Italy
  • Angelo Maria Saliani Associazione di Psicologia Cognitiva APC e Scuola di Psicoterapia Cognitiva SPC, Rome, Italy
  • Francesca D'Olimpio Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italia

Keywords:

Self-criticism, Transdiagnostic processes, Pilot study, Digital intervention, Socratic Dialogue, Obsessive-compulsive traits

Abstract


Self-Criticism (SC) is a transdiagnostic process associated with increased psychological distress and poor therapeutic outcomes, particularly among individuals with obsessive-compulsive traits characterized by rigid moral self-evaluations and punitive inner dialogues. This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary effects of SOCRATE in a non-clinical sample. SOCRATE consists of an App aimed at providing a structured digital intervention based on the Socratic Dialogue technique, which is addressed specifically to the dialogic and inferential architecture of self-critical processes. Sixteen non-clinical young adults (N=16) completed an assessment of measures, before and after the intervention referred to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Social Anxiety symptoms and then they used the application daily for fifteen days. Results revealed a significant reduction in obsessive-compulsive symptomatology among non-clinical participants who presented OCD traits in the pre-test measure. No significant changes emerged for other symptomatic domains. These preliminary findings suggest that structured digital Socratic Dialogue may represent a promising low-intensity intervention for self-critical processes associated with OCD-related symptomatology. Furthermore, within the scene of digital mental health, this work contributes to the growing body of research on structured digital interventions as a tool capable of enhancing the effects of psychotherapy, particularly those aimed at the modulation and reduction of SC. Further research is needed to determine and clarify how such low-intensity dialogical tools can be optimally integrated into broader models of psychological intervention. In particular, additional studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of combining SOCRATE usage integrated into psychotherapy and to establish the conditions under which this integration may yield the greatest clinical benefit.

 

doi: 10.53240/2026TOPIC5N2.111

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Published

2026-05-29

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Lamberti, V., Caputo, F., Piscopo, E., Almaviva, G., Lustro, A., Couyoumdjian, A., Di Consiglio, M., Zaccari, V., Gangemi, A., Mancini, F., Saliani, A. M., & D’Olimpio, F. (2026). SOCRATE vs. critical thoughts: Preliminary results on an Application for Socratic Dialogue Intervention. TOPIC - Temi Di Psicologia dell’Ordine Degli Psicologi Della Campania, 5(2). Retrieved from https://topic.oprc.it/index.php/topic/article/view/114

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Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): TOPIC - Temi di Psicologia dell’Ordine degli Psicologi della Campania

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Psicologia clinica e dinamica

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