Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 142 Cognitive Dissonance Theory
“Okay,” Nan Zhuren said, his tone devoid of emotion. “This is your ideal day.”

Then, changing the subject abruptly, she asked, "Now, can you recall how you spend your day these days?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Zhuren immediately heard a deep, long inhale and exhale.

This was Li Minglu's last deep breath.

With a slight clench of his teeth, Nan Zhuren could clearly see the other person's prominent masseter muscles.

Then, it was obvious that Li Minglu's breathing became rapid.

……

There's no need for micro-expression analysis, or even to look at facial expressions.

Just by listening to Li Minglu's breathing, you can tell that he is constantly spewing out negative emotions.

Clearly, compared to his "ideal day," Li Minglu's actual day was not very satisfactory.

"These days, I have a hard time waking up in the morning..."

The stark contrast begins from the start of the day.

Li Minglu's voice was dry: "Every morning when it's time to get up, I can actually feel myself waking up... I have that feeling of being fully conscious. I can hear the sounds around me, but I can't open my eyes because I always feel so tired, so tired that I don't have the strength to open my eyes."

"I can hear the alarm clock ringing and my wife getting up. But I just can't move my body. I can't get out of bed. I need to gather my strength, and it takes a long time..."

"In short, when I got up, my wife was no longer beside me, and the bed was cold."

Because it was indeed a real event, Li Minglu's descriptions became more detailed, and his subjective feelings became more abundant.

However, this only applies to this part. When it comes to specific life scenarios, he immediately becomes vague and unclear, as if even his memory is blurry.

"After I get up, there's usually breakfast left on the table by my wife; she's already taken the kids out."

"After I finish eating, I wash the dishes, and then I go to my studio to sit and work on my inspiration and my paintings..."

“My wife would call me out for lunch and dinner. The rest of the time, I would stay in the studio.”

[He frowned throughout, spoke vaguely and very briefly. Did he simply forget, or did he deliberately blur his memory?]

Or perhaps, they simply don't want to bring it up?

Or perhaps, life is simply just this monotonous.

That's it. These few words sum up Li Minglu's day.

Nan Zhuren blinked and reminded him, "Didn't you say before that your wife took you out to meet her friends? And that you had weekly consultations?"

Li Minglu paused, as if he had just remembered: "...Yes, there are these too. But all of these add up to less than a day's time. Most of the week is still the same as what I said."

This can be considered a simple standoff.

Through this confrontation, Nan Zhuren also learned the true situation of Li Minglu.

Just a little bit more.

"Okay, let's move on to the last step."

Nan Zhuren waited for a while, allowing Li Minglu's agitated emotions to calm down.

"Do you remember your life before you developed symptoms of depression?"

"Before the onset of depression?" Li Minglu was taken aback.

Nan Zhuren affirmed, "Yes. After you got married, when your life was relatively stable and regular, before you first rolled on the ground in pain—could you describe what your life was like at that time?"

This time, Li Minglu remained silent for an exceptionally long time.

He has been ill for a long time, and his memories of almost two years ago are quite vague.

At times like these, it's easier for him to revisit his past fantasies, and recalling his life two years ago feels like living in another world.

……

“Before I start to feel unwell…” Li Minglu hesitated, “a day also begins with waking up.”

“But we rarely make breakfast; we buy it almost every day. I go to buy breakfast, and my wife goes to call the kids to school.”

“During the day, I initially had time to handle work, but I was always interrupted by other things. So over time, I stopped painting during the day and only had time to paint when I stayed up late at night.”

“I rarely have time to spend with my daughter and son because they have a lot of schoolwork. My wife is always taking them to all sorts of tutoring classes, and sometimes I don’t even see them all day…”

Li Minglu gripped the sofa tightly, his fists clenched.

It seems that the pain at this moment is far greater than when I was just looking back on "my life now".

Nan Zhuren sighed inwardly.

He felt a pang of sympathy for Li Minglu's current state, but his professional ethics compelled him to press further: "You said that during the day you 'at first had time to handle work, but were always interrupted by other things,' what were those things?"

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Li Minglu gripped the sofa tighter: "It's about... things at home."

"whats the matter?"

“Household chores…friends…and other things,” Li Minglu said vaguely.

Nan Zhuren pressed further, "What are the specifics?"

"……I forgot."

Okay, that's enough for now.

At this point, the visitor has begun to show defensiveness, indicating that their self-exploration has reached its limit due to their own motivation.

If we want to push things further, we can only do so through Nan Zhuren's guidance.

Nan Zhuren is also preparing to do the same.

"Alright, now we can sit up again!"

Nan Zhuren raised his voice slightly, which was like a loud bang in the otherwise quiet consultation atmosphere.

Li Minglu's eyelids practically snapped open, he shuddered, and then immediately slumped back down.

Nan Zhuren drew back the curtains, letting the sunlight stream in and warming the room.

Then he poured Li Minglu a glass of water to help him gradually return to his normal mood.

"What's the point of saying all that, Professor Nan?"

Sensing the visitor's confusion, Nan Zhuren smiled slightly and replied, "This is related to what I'm about to tell you."

He steadied his rhythm, making sure his voice had captured Li Minglu's attention and aroused his curiosity.

Nan Zhuren slowly said, "We have a theory in psychology called the Cognitive Dissonance Theory."

"This theory posits that our attitudes toward things, our environment, or our own behavior tend to be in harmony with reality. If our attitudes and reality are mismatched, or 'disharmony,' it will cause us to experience a range of stressful emotions such as tension, anxiety, and pain."

Nan Zhuren introduced the theory with a relatively formalized written form, followed by a dimensional reduction explanation.

"For example, I now have a [cognition] that 'smoking is harmful to health'."

"At the same time, I also have another [behavior] - 'I like to smoke'."

“In this situation, there is a conflict between my perception and my actual behavior. I know that smoking is harmful to my health, but I still smoke every day, so I will definitely feel nervous because of it.”

Seeing Li Minglu's expression slowly change, Nan Zhuren knew that the other party was absorbing knowledge.

he continued.

"Humans cannot remain in a state of tension for a long time. This is the cause of many psychological and even physiological diseases. The body's instincts will allow our cognition to autonomously coordinate our behavior."

In this situation, a person has several choices—

(End of this chapter)