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

Chapter 506 Don’t understand

This time, faced with Nan Zhuren's highly aggressive statement, the students seemed still immersed in the tragedy at the end of the case.

The atmosphere was heavy; no one laughed.

However, this is no longer a stage where we need to liven up the classroom atmosphere to attract attention; the students' attention has already been completely drawn to us.

Following on from the previous sentence, Nan Zhuren continued, "The 'people' I'm referring to here are you."

He pointed at the students present and said, "You are 'human beings,' but they are not 'human beings.'"

Some of the students were a little confused.

Was the teacher praising us? But why don't we feel praised at all?
The more quick-witted students, however, subtly deciphered the meaning behind Nan Zhuren's convoluted description.

As expected, Nan Zhuren continued, "In a broad sense, 'human beings' refers to the collective of people who live in this society. We are born in a normal society, grow up in a normal society, and live in a normal society."

"Our thought patterns and cognitive structures are subtly shaped by the influence of all aspects of society. Therefore, when we communicate with others, we also try to understand them by these 'human' standards."

As he spoke, Nan Zhuren pointed to several key points in the PPT, such as the part where the fraudsters repeatedly comforted the victims by saying that they "only wanted money."

“In our daily thinking, we would definitely think that ‘fraudsters just want to cheat people out of money, and they don’t want to make a big deal out of it, otherwise it would increase the chances of them being arrested by the police.’”

Nan Zhuren shook his head: "And this kind of thinking is exactly what criminals want the victims to continue with, because victims who hold this kind of thinking will be unusually compliant, and may even actively participate in the fraud process."

"but--"

Nan Zhuren clicked on the PPT, and several large words appeared on it:
[False Consensus Effect]

……

The "false consensus effect" is an important concept in social psychology, which refers to the tendency of individuals to instinctively overestimate others and believe that others will have the same views, beliefs, or behaviors as themselves.

There are many reasons for this effect.

For example, egocentrism refers to an individual's tendency to extrapolate about others based on their own experiences.

Or, “cognitive shortcuts”—referring to the assumption that others share similar social backgrounds and values ​​with oneself.

But criminals are always the groups that cause losses to individuals who suffer from this "false consensus effect".

……

"If you really think that fraud gangs are only after money, then you are fundamentally wrong."

“Criminals’ values ​​are completely different from ours, and their cognition and personality are even more different from ours.”

Nan Zhuren picked up a book casually as he spoke: "To give you an example, what I'm holding in my hand right now is the Criminal Law. You all might think that what's written in it is a regulation that we absolutely cannot touch, a red line for our behavior."

“But those individuals who are not human will see this as a ‘get rich quick’ guide.”

Nan Zhuren's voice lowered, to the point that it sounded like he was telling a horror story.

This is exactly the effect he wants to achieve at this moment.

These lectures, which are supposed to be educational for preventing fraud, are in a sense just scaring people, students, and children.

Some suspects of crimes of passion still think in a relatively normal way; however, professional criminals adhere to a completely different way of thinking from the social system.

Even many rookie police officers would be baffled; and for more antisocial villains, even a team of experts would be helpless.

To take a slightly exaggerated example from film and television, there's a certain psychology chef who likes to play people; to go even further, there's Zhou Ke'er from Gotham.

"The purpose of sharing this case today is to make everyone realize this: never, ever think that you understand the criminal's thought process, and never think that the criminal's behavior will follow your expectations."

"When they tear off their masks, your losses will be inevitable, and at this moment, we only have one choice—"

Nan Zhuren, palm up, gestured to the court officials seated below: "Call the police. Let the professionals handle this." ...

The court officials looked a little dazed. "We're not police officers, you know."

But with the atmosphere already set, Judge Chen stood up and gestured to the students.

In theory, this concludes Nan Zhuren's lecture for today.

It's much shorter than before.

But after thinking about it, Nan Zhuren realized there was still plenty of time, and finally sighed.

He said, "Ms. D, the victim in this case, paid a much heavier price than the average victim. Not only was she swindled out of all her money, but she also ended her own life."

"The deceased are gone, and judging whether their actions were right or wrong is meaningless. But one thing is certain—"

Nan Zhuren said slowly and deliberately, “She is a victim.”

Nan Zhuren's expression was unusually serious: "I sincerely hope that none of you here will have to remember what I'm about to say in the future, but I still have to say it now—if one day you really find yourself in a situation where you've been swindled out of your money and then suffered personal humiliation, then you must tell yourself that you are the victim."

His gaze swept over everyone in the classroom, without pausing on any one person, yet his words seemed directed at certain individuals.

"Don't punish yourself or presume guilt. All the sins were committed by the person on the other end of the phone, and ultimately... they will be the ones to pay the price and bear the consequences."

"If you feel there are any problems you can't figure out at this time, please seek help from professionals, such as a psychologist, to help you deal with them."

At this point, Nan Zhuren's voice softened, no longer carrying the frightening tone it had before.

But it remains sturdy and thick, like a cotton quilt that has just been sun-dried in winter.

He smiled faintly: "This is the meaning of our profession."

These humanistic words made Xia Tian involuntarily squint her eyes, which is one of the reasons why she left Jiangdu and came to Beidu.

……

This concludes Nan Zhuren's lecture segment.

According to the procedure, the next part is to simulate a fraud scenario on site to help students remember it better.

but--

"Excuse me, is there a problem?"

Looking at the hands raised high below the stage, Nan Zhuren smiled.

There's no need to be too rigid in any step; appropriate adjustments are fine.

Then I saw a round-faced boy wearing glasses stand up with a very polite smile.

"Teacher, first of all, thank you very much for sharing."

Nan Zhuren nodded with a smile.

The round-faced boy continued, "I've encountered scammers before. I don't know if he counts as the kind of dangerous scammer you mentioned, but I just thought it was fun and played along with him for a long time. In the end, I managed to get them to break down and hang up on their own. They even called the police. I thought it was funny at the time, but after listening to your lecture today, I realize how risky it was. I was just lucky."

"That's why I don't understand two parts of your lecture."

Looking at the round-faced boy's expression, Nan Zhuren raised an eyebrow.

--Um?

(End of this chapter)