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

Chapter 154 Limitations of Microexpression Analysis
"Li Minglu wants a family as wonderful as his childhood, but he doesn't want to play the role of a husband, but rather—a son."

Nan Zhuren's expression became quite awkward.

"He wanted to relive the feeling of being cared for as a child."

“If we look at it from the perspective of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, his ‘rebuilding the family’ satisfies his ‘achievement goal need’; while ‘regaining the love he received in childhood’ satisfies his ‘belonging and being loved’ needs, and even his ‘safety need’.”

……

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is an important theory in humanistic psychology.

In this theory, psychologists categorize all known human needs and rank them according to their intensity, developmental stage, and so on, ultimately forming a "needs pyramid".

The mainstream hierarchy of needs pyramid has five levels, from lowest to highest: physiological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs.

In this hierarchy of needs pyramid, the lower the need is, the more basic it is for a person.

The more basic the need, the more likely it is to bring negative emotions such as anxiety and depression when it is not met.

……

“In this situation, his current relationship with his wife is even more damaging—he not only cannot recreate a warm family, but he also does not receive care.”

Nan Zhuren stated his judgment: "This further demonstrates his situation. Only the superposition of two missing needs—especially when the [safety need] is also present—can destroy a person so quickly."

"At the same time, it gripped him like vines in the mud, preventing him from climbing out."

Weng Pingting nodded and looked through Li Minglu's information.

He then agreed, saying, "You used a good metaphor."

She also said something unrelated to the main topic.

The supervisor then quickly steered the conversation back on track: "So, what are you planning to do? Consult Li Minglu's wife, Wang Sui, as well?"

Nan Zhuren thought for a moment, but did not reply immediately.

He wondered if things would improve after he completed his monthly goals a few more times.

……

Weng Pingting waited for him for a few breaths.

There was no reply from Nan Zhuren.

She was not surprised.

It would be abnormal if an intervention plan could be developed so quickly for someone with depression—especially one with such a complicated family situation.

"If you don't have any ideas, you can look at some past cases, and then we can discuss them together and come up with the final solution."

Weng Pingting said slowly, "But now, I have an angle that you can look at for reference."

Nan Zhuren made a gesture of listening attentively.

“When you were analyzing just now, it seemed that you were putting yourself too much in the position of ‘Li Minglu’, and your thinking was in opposition to that of ‘Wang Sui’.”

"But you need to know—Li Minglu and Wang Sui are on the same side. When you oppose Wang Sui, you are also opposing Li Minglu."

Weng Pingting looked into Nan Zhuren's eyes.

"Actually, from another perspective, Wang Sui's approach is not 'wrong,' but rather 'inappropriate' or 'mismatched.'"

Nan Zhuren blinked.

“I recently read a new paper from the Chinese Academy of Sciences that discusses how intervention with the family members of clients can have therapeutic effects on them—I think it’s very relevant to your situation right now.” Weng Pingting said slowly, “According to you, Wang Sui is indeed gaining emotional value through Li Minglu. But taking care of a husband with depression is emotionally draining, especially for someone who doesn’t understand the relevant illness; it’s easy to become emotionally exhausted.”

"Based on your description, Wang Sui has almost no knowledge of depression; at the same time, her expectations for daily life are completely mismatched with Li Minglu's; and she has almost no involvement in her husband's mental world."

"However, she did indeed accompany Li Minglu during the most difficult time of his life, and she did take care of her husband, who suffered from depression, for two years—the latter being particularly commendable."

As she spoke, Weng Pingting placed Li Minglu's file in front of Nan Zhuren, pointing with her slender fingers to the two parts she had mentioned.

From a cognitive standpoint, Wang Sui is indeed not a good fit for Li Minglu; but what about from other perspectives?

“Zhu Ren, if you want to get more involved in the field of family counseling in the future, you can’t just look at the innate ‘attributes’ of the two people; you have to take a longer timeline and look at their ‘experiences’.”

"Since they have been able to stay together for so long and never abandon each other, is there a possibility that they could change Wang Sui and, in turn, Li Minglu in the future?"

……

Nan Zhuren remained silent.

Regardless of the method, as a professional, he subconsciously began to consider the feasibility of the plan.

For various reasons, Nan Zhuren is superior to senior consultants who have been immersed in the industry for many years in some aspects.

However, in the areas of "professional reading volume", "work experience" and "life experience", Weng Pingting is clearly more adept.

After all, he is a senior psychological counselor who can personally oversee a newly established psychological center in Jiangdu.

Given Weng Pingting's level, if she were to take it a step further, she would become a "psychologist".

So Nan Zhuren thought for a moment and followed Weng Pingting's train of thought: "Then should I intervene in Wang Sui's affairs later?"

Weng Pingting nodded: "From the perspective of counseling benefits, it is much easier to intervene in her case than in the case of her husband who has depression."

"Perhaps you could start by exploring Wang Sui's childhood experiences. According to your account, she played the role of a 'mother' in intimate relationships, and a 'strict mother' at that."

She jokingly probed, "Perhaps you could try using your micro-expression analysis skills?"

Nan Zhuren gave Weng Pingting a strange look.

After thinking for a moment, he denied it.

"No, micro-expression analysis is indeed very convenient for intelligence gathering, but... it's not suitable for use in the consultation room."

In the consultation room, visitors are required to answer the counselor's questions—at first glance, this seems like a good place for micro-expression analysis to come into play.

but it is not the truth.

Using micro-expression analysis to relentlessly interrogate and pry into privacy can leave considerable psychological damage.

Even with a good consulting relationship as a foundation, it is still the same.

This method would be acceptable if it were used against a "beast in human clothing" like Wang An, an "aid and abettor" like Huang Xin, or a "second-in-command" like Consultant Zhang.

Micro-expression analysis is not very suitable for use in consultations; it is more suitable for investigation, interrogation, and so on.

Ultimately, the theme of the consultation is "healing".

Nan Zhuren was about to give that answer.

Suddenly, he stopped moving.

Something's not right. Given Pingting's level of expertise, she shouldn't be asking such a question.

(End of this chapter)