Donald Robertson

In many cases, they'll be using these maladaptively in a way that's contributing to the problem and making it worse, usually because they're doing them too rigidly or they're using them as a kind of subtle form of avoidance that's actually contributing to the problem. And so one of the first things we might do is what's sometimes called a functional analysis.

So we'll get people to very carefully weigh up the pros and cons of the strategies they're using. And this kind of thinking things through, so cognitive therapy technique, is similar in some ways, I think, to using the Socratic method to question your definition of justice, for instance.

So we'll get people to very carefully weigh up the pros and cons of the strategies they're using. And this kind of thinking things through, so cognitive therapy technique, is similar in some ways, I think, to using the Socratic method to question your definition of justice, for instance.

So we'll get people to very carefully weigh up the pros and cons of the strategies they're using. And this kind of thinking things through, so cognitive therapy technique, is similar in some ways, I think, to using the Socratic method to question your definition of justice, for instance.

Or Socrates would also... I'll give you an example of a specific technique that kind of blew my mind when I read it. In Xenophon, and scholars, like classicists, never mention this because as a psychotherapist looking at the Socratic dialogues, I notice him doing psychological stuff that a philosopher or a classicist might not even...

Or Socrates would also... I'll give you an example of a specific technique that kind of blew my mind when I read it. In Xenophon, and scholars, like classicists, never mention this because as a psychotherapist looking at the Socratic dialogues, I notice him doing psychological stuff that a philosopher or a classicist might not even...

Or Socrates would also... I'll give you an example of a specific technique that kind of blew my mind when I read it. In Xenophon, and scholars, like classicists, never mention this because as a psychotherapist looking at the Socratic dialogues, I notice him doing psychological stuff that a philosopher or a classicist might not even...

you know like register so there's a bit in xenophon where socrates speaks to another young guy um in a shop in the agora and this dude is a self-help junkie as we call it today he literally has a collection he's got the finest collection in athens of self-improvement books he says he collects the maxims of wise men and he's trying to improve his character so that one day he can become a great statesman and he wants to understand the nature of morality or justice

you know like register so there's a bit in xenophon where socrates speaks to another young guy um in a shop in the agora and this dude is a self-help junkie as we call it today he literally has a collection he's got the finest collection in athens of self-improvement books he says he collects the maxims of wise men and he's trying to improve his character so that one day he can become a great statesman and he wants to understand the nature of morality or justice

you know like register so there's a bit in xenophon where socrates speaks to another young guy um in a shop in the agora and this dude is a self-help junkie as we call it today he literally has a collection he's got the finest collection in athens of self-improvement books he says he collects the maxims of wise men and he's trying to improve his character so that one day he can become a great statesman and he wants to understand the nature of morality or justice

And Socrates questions about the definition of justice and quickly shows that he doesn't really understand it. It's contradicting himself. And so this guy thinks, well, I've been reading all these books and tried to memorize what they say.

And Socrates questions about the definition of justice and quickly shows that he doesn't really understand it. It's contradicting himself. And so this guy thinks, well, I've been reading all these books and tried to memorize what they say.

And Socrates questions about the definition of justice and quickly shows that he doesn't really understand it. It's contradicting himself. And so this guy thinks, well, I've been reading all these books and tried to memorize what they say.

But when someone tries to get me to explain the meaning of these concepts, I just kind of fall apart because he's never really thought things through very deeply. He's just parroting stuff. He's learning passively. Socrates draws a diagram. which I immediately recognized because we do it all the time in cognitive therapy. He draws two columns, right? Probably on a wax tablet or something, right?

But when someone tries to get me to explain the meaning of these concepts, I just kind of fall apart because he's never really thought things through very deeply. He's just parroting stuff. He's learning passively. Socrates draws a diagram. which I immediately recognized because we do it all the time in cognitive therapy. He draws two columns, right? Probably on a wax tablet or something, right?

But when someone tries to get me to explain the meaning of these concepts, I just kind of fall apart because he's never really thought things through very deeply. He's just parroting stuff. He's learning passively. Socrates draws a diagram. which I immediately recognized because we do it all the time in cognitive therapy. He draws two columns, right? Probably on a wax tablet or something, right?

And at the heading, at the top of one column, he writes injustice. And at the top of the other column, he writes justice. And he says, I want you to kind of brainstorm definitions of what's justice that you want to be a just individual.

And at the heading, at the top of one column, he writes injustice. And at the top of the other column, he writes justice. And he says, I want you to kind of brainstorm definitions of what's justice that you want to be a just individual.

And at the heading, at the top of one column, he writes injustice. And at the top of the other column, he writes justice. And he says, I want you to kind of brainstorm definitions of what's justice that you want to be a just individual.

like and brainstorm examples of injustice so for injustice he comes up with things like lying um or uh stealing um stuff like that right obvious examples of injustice and then socrates does exactly the same thing that we mentioned earlier he brainstorms exceptions he said okay lying what if you're an elected general and you're lying to the enemy in order to deceive them in a military campaign is that unjust or would you consider that to be just under the circumstances