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

Chapter 183 [Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy]

Nan Zhuren sighed, not because the student's problem was particularly serious.

From the perspective of psychological counseling classification, the other person's condition may not even qualify as a "psychological problem".

At most, it could be considered a psychological abnormality, or even just a state of sub-optimal mental health.

The latter represents the state of the majority of people in society.

Or rather—this is the norm.

Therefore, the problems he faces are also the most stubborn.

From Nan Zhuren's perspective, it is indeed a relatively mild case of cognitive dissonance.

Although Li Minglu's depression was also caused by cognitive dissonance, this student is not comparable to Li Minglu.

The degree of harm caused by cognitive dissonance is determined by the importance of the dissonant cognition.

But this leads to another problem: although Zhuang Junzhe's cognitive dissonance is mild, it is not easy to solve.

In analogy with medicine, it's roughly similar to "physical weakness," "chronic gastroenteritis," and "spleen and stomach weakness." These conditions are not as severe as "fractures," but there are almost no good ways to cure them completely.

Li Minglu's cognitive dysfunction stems from his family. If this situation had been detected and addressed promptly, it could have been resolved effectively.

And Zhuang Junzhe's troublesome family background problem... well, those who know, know.

Nan Zhuren pursed her lips.

He sighed because he had seen similar problems many times, which made him particularly sensitive to them and made it easy for him to empathize with them.

However, there is one thing that is unique to this visitor.

……

"Actually, I've always had this problem. But it's only recently become serious and is really bothering me."

"On the one hand, I was wondering if it was because of this girl's situation that my emotions were being disturbed too much, causing me to overthink things."

"On the other hand, I'm wondering if it's because I haven't been able to face this problem before, but have been avoiding or suppressing it, that it's now erupting in a more intense way and affecting me."

Zhuang Junzhe looked into Nan Zhuren's eyes; her gaze was helpless, yet possessed a certain strength.

"I can't figure this out myself, so I want to ask my teacher to help me sort it out."

They have a clear mind, a good understanding of themselves, and actively seek help.

Among the visitors, Zhuang Junzhe is the "healthiest" one.

This is a point that definitely deserves our active attention.

So Nan Zhuren pointed it out directly: "It seems that before you came to me, you had already done a thorough analysis of your situation and conducted a very deep self-reflection."

"You have a very clear understanding of your thoughts and you speak very logically. This is rare even among graduate students."

After hearing the praise, Zhuang Junzhe smiled and said, "Maybe it's because... my major is more science-oriented, and I always want to analyze problems thoroughly."

As he said this, he leaned back.

[She relaxed a little.] This signifies a deepening of the counseling relationship.

Nan Zhuren looked at him sincerely and said, "To be honest, I can really understand you now. I used to be troubled by this problem too. I was also a candidate from a small town, and I was also very uncomfortable when I first came to Jiang University."

After [positive attention], add a little bit of [self-disclosure] with [empathy].

Zhuang Junzhe looked at Nan Zhuren's face, and at the features and lines of Nan Zhuren's face, his gaze somewhat surprised: "But teacher, you don't look like you're from..."

He suddenly stopped, remembering what he had said earlier about his friends thinking he looked like he came from a well-off family, and fell silent for a moment.

After all, in terms of appearance, Nan Zhuren's visual nobility is definitely superior to his; therefore, if Nan Zhuren's family situation is really similar to his, the troubles she suffers are definitely greater than his.

A feeling of shared misfortune arose spontaneously.

At the same time, Zhuang Junzhe also experienced a bit of boomerang-like awkwardness.

When people feel awkward, they tend to subconsciously adjust their posture—or perhaps it's because maintaining one posture for too long is tiring. So, the visitor changed to a sitting position where he leaned completely back in the sofa chair. Instead of crossing his arms, he placed his hands with his fingers interlaced on his lower abdomen.

After two breaths, the visitor asked, "Teacher, how did you handle it back then?"

Nan Zhuren tapped his head: "You used the right word just now, 'cognition.' And my method is—to adjust your own 'cognition.'"

According to the theory of cognitive dissonance, in order to reconcile cognition in the event of cognitive dissonance, adjustments must be made to either cognition or behavior.

In Zhuang Junzhe's case, the so-called "behavior" is not easy to adjust—after all, the problem is caused by "family background," so the best behavior is to "change the family background," which is a problem that takes a very long time and goes beyond the scope of psychological counseling.

Then the only options are to target cognition, either by "increasing cognition" or "changing cognition".

Nan Zhuren smiled and said, "You have actually been doing very well before, trying your best to maintain the balance of your cognition; but people's cognition always changes with the environment and events around them. Now you have suddenly moved from a second- or third-tier city to Jiangdu. This situation has caused your cognition to be unable to keep up with the speed of environmental change, thus causing a disharmony."

This means that the visitor has a strong cognitive adjustment foundation, and what Nan Zhuren does is to give him a slight push to help him clarify his thoughts.

These are all methodological matters.

For Zhuang Junzhe in front of him, it was quite easy.

Nan Zhuren tore off a piece of paper, picked up a pen, and pushed them together in front of the visitor.

"What we're going to do next is called Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), also known as the ABC therapy."

Following Nan Zhuren's rhythm, Zhuang Junzhe subconsciously repeated the second half of the sentence: "【ABC Therapy】?"

Nan Zhuren gestured for Zhuang Junzhe to pick up the paper and pen himself.

"First, we write the three letters [A], [B], and [C] horizontally at the top of the paper."

Zhuang Junzhe did as instructed.

Nan Zhuren explained, “You are currently experiencing distress and have come for consultation. Upon closer examination, it’s because the event triggered your emotions, which you are unable to process on your own, so you are seeking help.”

Zhuang Junzhe nodded.

"How an event evokes a person's emotions is essentially due to the different beliefs people have about the event."

"Next, we will break down your recent troubles and record them in the order of [Event], [Belief], and [Emotion]; where [Event] is [A], [Belief] is [B], and [Emotion] is [C]."

(End of this chapter)