[Existentialism School]?
Teacher Xiao Zhao shook his head with a confused look.
Nan Zhubin was not surprised by this expression.
As previously mentioned, psychology is currently in a "contention of a hundred schools of thought" stage.
The more representative "three major forces" and the so-called "ten major schools" have yet to be integrated, while more niche schools are emerging rapidly in the process of psychological consultation and therapy.
Of course, these schools are described as "niche" not because they are ineffective, but because they have certain limitations in their application range.
The [Existentialism School] that Nan Zhubin is talking about is one of them, and it happens to be very suitable for Teacher Xiao Zhao’s current situation.
"Mr. Nan, could you elaborate on this [Existentialism]?" Teacher Xiao Zhao asked doubtfully.
Most freshly graduated students from specialized programs excel in a certain mainstream school—because schools arrange related courses, and even graduate exams require memorization.
When it comes to more niche schools, they know very little.
Nan Zhubin explained: "[Existentialism] and your [Behaviorism] have a considerable gap, and in some sense, they could even be considered opposites—because [Existentialism]’s theoretical foundation comes directly from philosophy, such as Nietzsche, Sartre, and others."
His first sentence made Teacher Xiao Zhao blink.
Psychology as a discipline is quite intricate. It separated from philosophy, and eventually was classified under natural sciences, mixed with a great many conflicting theories, which is also the reason for the "contention of a hundred schools of thought" within this discipline.
Among various schools, [Behaviorism] marks the beginning of psychology leaning from philosophy towards the natural sciences, as [Behaviorism] advocates experimental observation, using objective indicators to measure results—even today, [Behaviorism] can still be considered one of the "most scientific" schools in psychology.
And the [Existentialism] Nan Zhubin is talking about now is almost the other extreme.
"If I were to speak according to the book, [Existentialism] doesn’t aim to ’eliminate symptoms’, but rather helps clients to directly face fundamental issues of human existence—such as freedom, responsibility, loneliness, death, and a sense of meaninglessness, etc.—so as to help them reinterpret life and find their own answers."
"Its core therapeutic principles include four points: ’focus on the present’, ’explore fundamental issues’, ’emphasize responsibility and autonomy’, and ’accept rather than eliminate anxiety’."
If addressing clients, Nan Zhubin certainly wouldn’t give such a systematic and detailed explanation. Because to most clients, this would do more harm than good.
Teacher Xiao Zhao hesitated for a moment: "Mr. Nan, this sounds similar to [Humanism]? But I practice [Behaviorism]... I mean, I haven’t even mastered [Behaviorism] yet, if I start learning [Existentialism] now, wouldn’t it...?"
Worried about going astray, right?
Nan Zhubin shook his head and changed his topic: "Teacher Zhao, you do consultations as well, so do you remember what’s the first step in consultation?"
Teacher Xiao Zhao blinked, reminiscent of the supervision taste during school.
She tentatively answered: "... Collect information?"
"And for collecting information, what do we need?"
Good, this chain-question feeling was more familiar, Teacher Xiao Zhao’s tone became somewhat less confident: "... Establish a good consultation relationship?"
Nan Zhubin nodded: "But do you know that the practice of ’establishing a good relationship with the client’ was proposed by [Humanism]?"
Teacher Xiao Zhao: "...?!!"
Nan Zhubin continued: "Then you just pointed out that you have engaged in multiple [defenses] in our consultation, didn’t you?"
Teacher Xiao Zhao nodded.
Nan Zhubin smiled: "But the concept of [defense] also comes from [Psychoanalysis]."
This is quite basic stuff, if no one pointed it out usually, it would go unnoticed, but once revealed, it results in an enlightening moment.
Teacher Xiao Zhao understood what Nan Zhubin was going to say.
"Psychological consultation has developed to the present, although there are still internal divergences, regardless of which consultant it is, by today, they have a flavor of multi-school integration, which is a form of progress."
"As for your concern about not mastering [Behaviorism] yet and having your thoughts led astray..." Nan Zhubin chuckled, "Isn’t this how many niche schools came about? Maybe in the future you could even establish your own school of thought."
After these words, there were no more concerns.
Teacher Xiao Zhao smiled shyly, corrected her attitude, and stopped dwelling on it.
She began to shift her focus to professional areas: "Mr. Nan, why do you think my situation is suitable for using [Existentialism]?"
Nan Zhubin extended one finger.
"First of all, [Existential Therapy] derives from philosophical thoughts, therefore it requires a high level of self-awareness and frequent reflection from the client—this suits you very well."
This sentence serves as a [support], implying "Ordinarily, not everyone is smart enough to use [Existentialism], your ability to use it implies you’re from a high-quality demographic!"
Teacher Xiao Zhao pressed her lips, suppressing the corners of her mouth.
Then Nan Zhubin extended a second finger.
"Secondly, [Existentialism] does not fixate on solving problems—unfortunately, your current problems indeed cannot be solved."
Nan Zhubin sighed: "Having taken this position, as you indicated in our conversation, you have no intention to resign, so you can’t escape your current environment; at the same time, you can’t single-handedly change the college entrance exam, change the parents’ perceptions, or alter the work environment."
From this perspective, [Existentialism] seems like a "take a step back" kind of compromise.
But it particularly matches the scenarios of most people who encounter problems—if it was possible to just leave, who would stay and endure pressure until psychological issues arise?
Nan Zhubin extended a third finger.
"Lastly, there’s the ’focus on the present’ principle of [Existentialism]." This is also the most important and direct reason, "During our previous conversation, Teacher Xiao Zhao, you seemed very fixated on the ’past’."
Nan Zhubin recalled one by one: "You were confessed by students, thus affecting your attitude towards the opposite sex, and even students;"
"You encountered setbacks at work, and with students, giving rise to frustration and helplessness."
"And—you are very fixated on your abilities and achievements during school, believing that the quality of the consultation you’re providing students now cannot be lower than before."
Nan Zhubin looked into Teacher Xiao Zhao’s eyes: "These have all happened to you in the ’past’ and have affected the ’present’."
"But when discussing these ’presents’." Nan Zhubin said slowly, "You displayed [defense], and even [defended] against your [defenses]."
"This is the most urgent issue that needs addressing."