Who would study psychology unless they had some issues?!-Chapter 140 - 138 Cognitive Dissonance Theory

"Alright," Nan Zhubin said, with little emotion in the consultant’s tone, "this is your ideal day."

Then the topic shifted: "Now, can you recall how your current day is spent?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Zhubin immediately heard a deep, long breath in and out.

This was Li Minglu’s last deep breath.

Accompanied by slight teeth clenching, Nan Zhubin could clearly see the other person’s prominent cheek muscles.

Subsequently, it was obvious that Li Minglu’s breathing became rapid.

...

No need for Micro-expression Analysis, not even facial expressions were necessary.

Just by listening to Li Minglu’s breathing, it was clear he was pouring out negative emotions continuously.

Clearly, compared to his "ideal day," the reality of the day was not very satisfactory for Li Minglu.

"Well, in the morning, it’s hard for me to wake up..."

The stark contrast was evident right from the start of the day.

Li Minglu’s tone was dry: "Every morning at the time to get up, I can actually feel myself waking up... that conscious feeling. I can hear the sounds around me, but I can’t open my eyes because I always feel so tired, the kind of tiredness that makes it hard to open your eyes."

"I can hear the alarm clock ringing, and the sound of my wife getting up. But my body just won’t move, I can’t get out of bed, I have to gather the strength, gather for a long time..."

"In the end, when I get out of bed, my wife is no longer beside me, and the bed is cool."

Because these were real things happening, Li Minglu’s language descriptions became more detailed, and his subjective feelings became more pronounced.

But this was limited to this part, once it came to specific life scenarios, he immediately became vague, as if even Memory was blurred.

"After getting up, there is usually breakfast left by my wife on the table for me, she has already taken the kids out."

"I finish eating, wash the dishes, and then sit in the studio, waiting for inspiration, waiting to paint..."

"In between, my wife calls me out to eat, for lunch and dinner. The rest of the time, I stay in the studio."

[Frowning the entire time, speech was vague, very brief. Is it forgetfulness, or has the Memory been deliberately blurred?]

[Or perhaps, they simply don’t want to bring it up?]

[Or, life is just this dull.]

That’s it, these few sentences were Li Minglu’s day.

Nan Zhubin blinked and reminded: "Didn’t you say before that your wife also takes you out to meet friends? And there’s also the weekly therapy session?"

Li Minglu was taken aback, as if just remembering: "...Right, there are those. But if you add those up, it doesn’t even amount to a full day, most of the week is still as I said."

This could be considered a simple [Confrontation].

And through this confrontation, Nan Zhubin understood Li Minglu’s real situation.

Just one last thing left.

"Alright, let’s proceed with the final step."

Nan Zhubin paused for a moment, letting Li Minglu’s stirred emotions calm down again.

"Do you remember your life before the symptoms of [depression] appeared?"

"Before the [depression] appeared?" Li Minglu was puzzled.

Nan Zhubin affirmed: "Yes. After you got married, when life was relatively stable and regular, before the first time you felt so uncomfortable that you rolled on the ground — what was your life like around that time, can you describe it?"

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

He had been suffering for a long time, memories from almost two years ago were already quite blurry.

At this point, ironically, it’s easier for him to recall past fantasies, while reflecting on life two years ago feels like another world entirely.

...

"Before I started feeling miserable..."

Li Minglu hesitated: "The day also started with getting up."

"But, we rarely made breakfast, almost every day we bought it. I would go buy breakfast, my wife would wake the kids for school."

"During the day, at first, I had time to handle work, but I was always interrupted by other things. So, gradually, I didn’t paint during the day anymore, only when staying up late at night did I have time to paint."

"My daughter and son, it seems they rarely had time with them, because their studies were heavy. My wife always took them to various tutoring classes, sometimes I didn’t even see them for a whole day..."

Li Minglu couldn’t help but grip the sofa, his fists clenching tightly.

It seemed like the current pain exceeded that of recalling "current life."

In his heart, Nan Zhubin sighed.

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

The room was silent for a moment.

Li Minglu’s grip on the sofa tightened: "Household... matters."

"What matters?"

"House chores... friends... and other things," Li Minglu was vague.

Nan Zhubin inquired once more: "Specifically?"

"...I forgot."

Alright, that’s enough for now.

Diving this deep, the visitor is already exhibiting [defense], with their own motivation, self-exploration reaching this point is already the limit.

If we are to push further, it can only be guided by Nan Zhubin.

Which is exactly what he was preparing to do.

"Alright, now we can start over— sit up!"

Nan Zhubin slightly raised his volume, which, considering the previously subdued consulting atmosphere, was nothing short of an explosion.

Li Minglu’s eyelids almost popped open instantly, his whole body shuddered, then immediately sagged slightly.

Nan Zhubin pulled open the curtains, letting sunlight stream in again, warming up the room.

Then he poured Li Minglu a glass of water, allowing his emotions to slowly return to the daily baseline.

"What use were those things just said, Mr. Nan?"

Sensing the visitor’s confusion, Nan Zhubin smiled slightly and replied, "It’s related to what I’m going to tell you next."

He steadied the pace, making sure his voice had captured Li Minglu’s attention, engaging his curiosity.

Nan Zhubin slowly said, "We have a theory in psychology called [Cognitive Dissonance Theory]."

"This theory posits that we humans tend to align our attitudes towards things, environments, or our own behaviors with reality, and when our attitudes don’t match reality, it causes us to experience tension, anxiety, suffering, and a range of negative emotions."

Nan Zhubin introduced with a relatively formal theory, then proceeded with a simplified explanation.

"Here’s an example. I have a [cognition]— ’Smoking is harmful to health.’"

"At the same time, I have a [behavior]— ’I like to smoke.’"

"In this case, my [cognition] and my real-life [behavior] are in conflict. Knowing smoking is harmful while I smoke daily would naturally cause tension."

Observing Li Minglu’s expression slowly change, Nan Zhubin knew he was absorbing the knowledge.

He continued.

"Humans cannot stay in a state of tension for long; it is the cause of many psychological disorders, even physical illnesses. The body’s instinct will make our [cognition] autonomously align with our behavior."

"In this situation, people have several options—"

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