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10 February 2026, Volume 33 Issue 2
    

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  • Psychological Perspectives on Family Aesthetic Education
    Shu Yueyu, LI Wucheng, LIAO Shuyi
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 2-3.
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    This article re-examines the essence of family aesthetic education from a psychological perspective, pointing out that the core of true aesthetic education lies in the "heart" rather than "art," and should not be limited to artistic skill training, but should focus on the harmonious experiences created through relational interactions among family members. Based on three theoretical foundations—attachment theory, humanism, and positive psychology—the article elucidates how secure attachment lays the foundation for relational beauty, how humanistic principles serve as the source of relational beauty, and how positive psychology infuses vitality into relational beauty. At the practical level, the article proposes four specific pathways: accepting every emotion of the child, respecting every opinion of the child, discovering the child's positive qualities, and creating an intimate family atmosphere. The article emphasizes that the goal of family aesthetic education is to promote individuals' authentic self-expression within harmonious relationships, cultivating individuals with inner harmony and complete personalities, ultimately extending this harmony from the family to broader social relationships and constructing a better world.
  • I just want to love and care for this family
    Zhang Wanyue, CHEN Lianghu, GUO Shenchang
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 4-6.
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    This article systematically introduces the symptoms, causes, and coping methods of obsessive-compulsive disorder through a real case of an 18-year-old girl who developed compulsive cleaning behaviors after her parents' divorce. The article first presents the visitor's distress of spending 4 hours daily repeatedly mopping floors and cleaning toilets, then explains from a medical perspective the diagnostic criteria for OCD, symptom classification, and multidimensional causes including genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial factors, while introducing intervention approaches such as pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, and physical therapy. In the psychological counseling section, the article deeply analyzes the psychological needs hidden behind the compulsive behaviors—the visitor attempted to express her love for the family and support for her mother through cleaning, but this love evolved into pathological behavior due to lack of appropriate expression methods. The counselor intervened by helping the visitor become aware of the connection between emotions and behaviors, establishing a behavior record chart, and facilitating mother-daughter communication, while correcting the mother's inappropriate practice of using her child as an emotional outlet, emphasizing the importance of intergenerational boundaries in family systems, ultimately helping the visitor gradually improve her symptoms.
  • The Use of Freehand Mandala Art Therapy in Psychological Counseling
    Bi Yufang
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 7-8.
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  • Overcoming Hardness with Softness! Protecting "Better Days" Youth with Gentle Care - Forensic Medicine
    Zhang Chen'an
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 9-10.
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    This article illustrates the application of the "overcoming hardness with softness" educational philosophy in adolescent student management through a real case of a high school homeroom teacher handling a teacher-student conflict. The article recounts an incident where Xiao Wang, an academically excellent but stubborn female student, engaged in a heated argument with her English teacher in class due to dissatisfaction with the teaching methods. The homeroom teacher analyzed the "fixed mindset" pattern and strong self-esteem underlying Xiao Wang's behavior from a psychological perspective, recognizing adolescents' resistance to direct preaching. In handling the situation, the homeroom teacher employed listening, empathy, and the "I-message" communication model to ease tensions, coordinated with the English teacher to take the initiative in offering goodwill to provide the student with a face-saving way to apologize, collaborated with parents to form a home-school alliance, and created a "mistake-free zone" atmosphere through themed class meetings to cultivate students' empathy and conflict resolution skills. The article emphasizes the importance of combining rigid institutional rules with flexible education, pointing out that truly effective education does not rely on coercive authority, but rather through understanding, respect, and wise guidance to help students develop a growth mindset and cultivate their social-emotional skills and inner growth potential.
  • When Voice Gets Stuck: A Transformation Journey of a High School Student with Selective Mutism
    Wu Yaru
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 11-12.
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    This article documents the intervention process of a high school psychology teacher helping Student A, who has selective mutism, overcome difficulties. Student A rarely speaks at school and frequently arrives late or skips classes, yet can communicate normally with his mother at home. This pattern of mutism in specific settings is a typical symptom of selective mutism, essentially a self-protective mechanism related to anxiety. The article analyzes multiple causes of Student A's problem: social anxiety caused by academic pressure, cognitive dissonance between personal values and exam-oriented education, blocked identity exploration during adolescence, and a contradictory support system resulting from inconsistent parenting styles. Under the supervision of professional doctors, the psychology teacher adopted a systematic intervention strategy of "from outside to inside, small progressive steps": helping the homeroom teacher understand the student's behavior and adjust communication methods, guiding parents to improve parent-child interaction patterns, and creating a psychology club as a "safe experimental base" where the student could demonstrate talents through non-verbal means. The article emphasizes the importance of integrating medical and educational approaches, pointing out that complex developmental disorders require systematic and sequential professional practice. True breakthroughs lie not in quickly eliminating problems, but in accompanying students to find their own ways of connecting with the world at their own pace.
  • From "Lack of Support" to "Multi-dimensional Support": Regional Exploration of Teaching and Research Pathways for Primary and Secondary School Psychology Teachers
    Tan Haiyan
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 13-14.
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    This article explores the common predicament of "lack of professional support within schools" faced by primary and secondary school psychology teachers, and introduces the "multi-dimensional support" teaching and research pathway solution constructed by Jiading District, Shanghai. The article points out that as student mental health education has risen to the level of national strategy, the professional capacity building of psychology teachers has become crucial. However, most teachers are in a state of "fighting alone" within their schools, lacking disciplinary affiliation and professional support. Jiading District has established a four-tier stepped teaching and research system centered on "resource coordination—collaborative linkage—capacity enhancement": the district-level psychology teaching and research group plays an exemplary role through expert guidance and master teacher leadership; segmented teaching and research conducts in-depth training targeting the psychological characteristics of students at different stages—primary, middle, and high school; the school district cluster psychology teaching and research group breaks down inter-school barriers to build cross-school collaborative networks; and the novice teacher growth community provides systematic entry-level support for teachers with 0-3 years of experience. Through these four functionally complementary platforms, this model provides appropriate professional support for psychology teachers at different developmental stages, effectively resolving the predicament of isolated development among psychology teachers, and promoting the transformation of regional mental health education from experience-based to professionalized.
  • Skillfully Using "Group Power" to Achieve "Automation" in Classroom Routine Management
    Shi Ziyi
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 15-16.
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    This article explores from a social psychology perspective how head teachers can leverage "group power" to achieve "automation" in classroom routine management. The article points out that head teachers often face challenges such as insufficient energy, weak student execution, and low effectiveness of class leaders in classroom management. The fundamental cause lies in the misalignment between head teachers' adoption of "one-on-one management" and students' actions in a "group" state. Drawing on the Hawthorne Experiment, the article reveals the psychological principle that group norms influence behavior more effectively than institutional rules, and proposes that head teachers should shift from "monitoring individuals" to "building platforms." Four strategies are suggested to activate group power: having students form groups and establish identity markers such as group names and emblems to enhance sense of belonging; making tasks group-based and rewards collective to create shared interest-driven motivation; identifying and empowering informal "leaders" within groups to make them positive driving forces; providing guidance and establishing norms in the early stage, then gradually withdrawing in an orderly manner to allow groups to operate autonomously. This management model utilizes mutual supervision and incentive mechanisms within groups to transform external requirements into internal consciousness, ultimately achieving a transition from "individual supervision" to "group-driven" management, reducing the burden on head teachers while improving management effectiveness.
  • The "Five-Integration" Approach to Deep Learning in Middle School Career Guidance
    Song Zaohong
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 17-18.
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    This article explores how to promote deep learning in secondary school career education through the "Five-Integration" teaching model. The article points out that in the context of the artificial intelligence era, traditional career education suffers from superficial cognition and insufficient practice, while deep learning, as a meaningful learning process, can help students build systematic career planning awareness and capabilities. The "Five-Integration" teaching model encompasses five dimensions: embedding social contexts to make career cognition concrete, integrating disciplinary knowledge to activate applied value, connecting external resources to expand cognitive boundaries, introducing problem-solving to cultivate practical abilities, and incorporating multiple assessments to complete the growth loop. Practice has shown that this model not only enriches teaching materials and deepens students' self-awareness and career exploration, but also promotes the development of core competencies while advancing teachers' professional growth. The article argues that this systematic teaching model provides a complete pathway from theory to practice for secondary school career education, helping students establish the awareness and ability to proactively plan their future in a rapidly changing society.
  • The Current Status, Causal Analysis, and Countermeasures of Teachers' Mental Health in Schools
    Jia Lili
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 19-21.
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    This article systematically explores the current status, causes, and coping strategies for teachers' mental health issues in schools. The article first elaborates on the significance of teachers' mental health for educational quality, student development, and the educational ecosystem, pointing out that teachers currently experience widespread psychological distress such as anxiety, depression, and occupational burnout, manifesting diverse problems in physical, psychological, professional, and interpersonal aspects. In the causal analysis, the article conducts an in-depth examination from seven perspectives: significant job responsibilities, excessively high social expectations, role conflicts, tedious and repetitive work, special nature of work subjects, life difficulties, and individual differences in resilience. Addressing these issues, the article proposes a three-dimensional integrated maintenance system of "individual self-help, school support, and social collaboration": teachers personally need to make cognitive adjustments, manage emotions, and regulate behaviors; schools should optimize management mechanisms, provide professional psychological services, and foster a positive campus culture; at the social level, family understanding and support, policy guarantees from educational departments, and public opinion guidance to change stereotypes are needed to form a comprehensive support network.
  • AI Image Editing and Video Clipping Are Secretly Implanting False Memories
    Li Na
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 22-22.
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    This article explores how AI image and video editing technology affects human memory, particularly the formation of false memories. The article points out that false memories refer to recollections of events that never occurred or are severely distorted, and that human memory itself is malleable, with the proliferation of AI technology making this issue more complex. The latest research by cognitive psychologist Loftus's team found that viewing AI-edited images and videos significantly increases individuals' false memories, especially videos generated from AI-edited images, which produce 2.05 times more false memory reports than the control group. The article analyzes the impact of AI-edited content from both personal and social perspectives: at the personal level, people using AI tools to edit family photos may unknowingly alter genuine memories; at the social level, AI-generated content is reshaping collective memory and historical narratives. The article also mentions the potential positive role of AI in psychotherapy, but emphasizes the need to balance therapeutic benefits with memory integrity. Finally, it advises the public to remain vigilant about AI-edited visual content and to preserve "original backups" of their memories.
  • Faculty and Students of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences at East China Normal University Carry Out "Integrity in Mind and Conduct" Anti-Corruption Psychology Popular Science Exhibition Themed Party Day Activity
    Xu Yujia
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 23-23.
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    This article reports on the second "Integrity in Mind and Conduct" anti-corruption psychology popular science exhibition themed Party Day activity held by the School of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences at East China Normal University. The exhibition adopts an innovative "psychology + anti-corruption" perspective, popularizing integrity psychology knowledge to the public and revealing the psychological mechanisms behind corrupt behavior. The exhibition content is divided into four major sections, systematically analyzing the motivations and influencing factors of corrupt behavior from the perspectives of cognition, social environment, individual differences, and psychological applications. It explores how to use psychological methods to enhance integrity awareness and looks forward to the application prospects of artificial intelligence and other technologies in anti-corruption construction. The activity was jointly planned by teachers and students, with multiple student Party members participating in content design and exhibition setup. The curator pointed out that in the anti-corruption strategy of "integrated promotion of not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt," how to consolidate the ideological foundation of "not wanting to be corrupt" is a current important issue, and psychology can provide theoretical support for this. The activity combines professional disciplinary characteristics with integrity education, providing a new perspective and practical path for integrity culture construction.
  • Psychological Regulation Strategies for Young Teachers Based on Positive Psychology: Methodological Exploration and Practical Implications
    Wang Zhongjing
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 24-25.
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    This article explores how to apply positive psychology theory to help young teachers cope with occupational stress and mental health issues. The article points out that after the implementation of the "double reduction" policy, primary and secondary school teachers face higher teaching requirements, with statistics showing that 67% of teachers experience anxiety and 53% suffer from sleep disorders. Based on the core concepts of positive psychology, the article proposes four specific psychological regulation strategies: first, adjusting cognitive patterns to avoid perfectionism tendencies and conduct multi-dimensional rational analysis of issues such as student performance; second, releasing stress through regular exercise, utilizing exercise to promote the secretion of dopamine and other substances to improve emotional states; third, establishing teacher "peer support circles" to obtain emotional support and professional growth through regular communication and sharing; fourth, conducting mutual praise activities between teachers and students, discovering students' strengths in daily teaching to enhance the sense of achievement and meaning in work. Through multiple teaching practice cases, the article demonstrates that these methods can effectively alleviate teachers' anxiety, improve teacher-student relationships, enhance teaching quality, and help young teachers maintain a positive and optimistic mindset in their professional development.
  • Exploring the Pathways of School Sports in Promoting the Mental Health Development of College Students
    Ye Mengxuan
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 26-27.
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    This article explores the mechanism and implementation strategies of school sports in promoting college students' mental health from three dimensions: theoretical mechanism, practical dilemmas, and implementation pathways. The article first explains the physiological basis of how physical activities improve mental states through neuroendocrine regulation and brain structure optimization, as well as the mechanism of enhancing psychological capital by cultivating positive psychological resources such as self-efficacy and optimistic qualities, and constructing social support networks. It then identifies three major dilemmas in current university sports: the lagging "mind-body dualism" concept, the lack of coordination between physical education and mental health work, and the absence of personalized guidance support. In response to these issues, the article proposes four systematic pathways: constructing a "sports and health integration" curriculum system that incorporates psychological skills into teaching objectives; establishing a "sports-medicine integration" collaborative mechanism between sports departments and mental health centers; creating a three-in-one diversified participation platform of "competition-activity-club"; and utilizing smart technology to establish students' dynamic physical and mental health archives to achieve precise exercise prescription delivery, thereby fully leveraging the unique value of school sports in promoting college students' mental health.
  • Breaking Through the Cocoon of "Stealing Feelings": Decoding the Hidden Growth Posture of Contemporary Youth
    Xia Tian, Wang Mingyu
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 28-29.
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    This article focuses on the emerging phenomenon of "stealing feelings" among contemporary youth, which refers to a behavioral pattern of constructing self-buffering spaces in high-pressure social environments through concealed and intermittent practices. The article first depicts three typical manifestations of "stealing feelings": the "invisible people" and "lurkers" in social domains, the "secret strivers" in competitive environments, and the "stealth slackers" in workplace and academic settings. It then analyzes the deep-rooted causes of "stealing feelings" from three dimensions: macro social structure, digital technology discipline, and individual psychology, pointing out that the uncertainty brought by liquid modernity, the panoptic surveillance of social media, and the contradiction between youth's desire for recognition and fear of stigma are the main sources of its emergence. The article further explores the dual impact of "stealing feelings": on one hand, it provides youth with a transitional space for emotional stability and a struggle for temporal autonomy; on the other hand, it may lead to interpersonal alienation and weakened self-efficacy. The article ultimately calls for transcending the pathologizing perspective, understanding "stealing feelings" as a creative response by youth seeking autonomy in their growth rhythm, and helping them find a balance between concealment and performance.
  • Innovative Application of Video Materials in Adolescent Career Education
    Li Li
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 30-31.
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    This article explores how to innovatively utilize video materials in adolescent career education to help students shift from "watching the excitement" to "understanding the essence." Taking the psychology class "My Competency Advancement: From 'Ordinary' to 'Something Special'" as an example, the article introduces how to apply the "iceberg model" theory to guide students in understanding competency structures. The course selected two videos with contrasting styles—a cultural relic restorer and a tech content creator—to guide students in recognizing that success depends not only on visible knowledge and skills above the waterline, but also on deeper elements such as traits and motivations beneath the surface. By deconstructing others' competency icebergs, students gradually learn to examine their own potential and characteristics, completing the transition from observing others to self-awareness. The article further reflects on the dual educational value of video materials as both "mirror" and "window," emphasizing that material selection must balance authenticity and completeness, and that teachers' professional guidance is indispensable. Additionally, the article extends to family education scenarios, suggesting that parents shift from "screen monitoring" to "meaning co-construction," gaining insight into children's interests through their video preferences and providing positive guidance based on relationship foundations.
  • Preventing Emptiness Syndrome: Illuminating the Inner Light of Every Child
    Chen Jiong
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 32-33.
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    This article focuses on the increasingly prevalent phenomenon of "emptiness syndrome" among contemporary adolescents. The article first defines the concept of emptiness syndrome, pointing out that its core characteristic is a loss of sense of value rather than emotional disorder. Although patients appear successful with excellent academic performance, they are chronically troubled by feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness, which is fundamentally different from depression. Through the real case of college student Lin Xi, the article vividly demonstrates the typical state of emptiness syndrome patients. In analyzing the causes, the article points out that a single grade-based evaluation system squeezes out space for value exploration, overprotection and utilitarian education deprive children of authentic growth experiences, and virtual connections on social media intensify spiritual loneliness. These factors work together during adolescence—a critical period for cognitive development—leading to children's inability to establish an internal value system. For prevention and alleviation, the article proposes three directions: building a diverse growth model to break the learning-supremacy mindset, strengthening values and life education in schools, and leaving blank space in children's growth to allow autonomous exploration. The article emphasizes that the essence of education is awakening, and calls on families, schools, and society to jointly create an inclusive and warm growth environment to help every child find their own life meaning.
  • Making Mistakes is Another Measure of Growth
    Ye Zhuang, Song Cheng, Zhang Fan
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 34-35.
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    This article explores how parents can correctly view and handle the common phenomenon of children "making mistakes" during their growth. The article begins with a life scenario of a child breaking a vase, pointing out that parents often fall into a dilemma between strictness and tolerance when facing their children's mistakes. The article deeply analyzes the negative impacts of critical education, indicating that when parents adopt a harsh and negative attitude, children tend to associate making mistakes with self-denial, which leads to a series of problems such as fear of failure, avoidance of trying, shirking responsibility, and ultimately stifles the budding of children's problem-solving abilities. In response to these issues, the article proposes four steps of constructive guidance: first, parents need to manage their own emotional reactions; second, establish emotional connections through empathy and acceptance; third, focus on the problem to inspire children's independent thinking; and finally, provide empowerment and support to let children experience success. The article emphasizes that mistakes are valuable assets in children's growth, and parents should view them as educational opportunities rather than symbols of failure. Through scientific guidance methods, parents can help children establish a positive mindset and problem-solving abilities, ultimately cultivating individuals with autonomy, independence, and psychological resilience.
  • Winning the "Phone Battle": Becoming Digital Allies with Your Children
    Zhang Yifei, Wang Chenbo
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 36-36.
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    This article focuses on the contemporary family education challenge of problematic internet use among adolescents, analyzing it from three dimensions: neuropsychological mechanisms, family influencing factors, and intervention strategies. The article points out that the number of underage internet users in China has exceeded 190 million, with approximately 13.6% of adolescents spending more than three hours online daily, indicating an increasingly severe problem of excessive use. From a neuroscientific perspective, adolescents' brain reward systems are abnormally sensitive to immediate online feedback, while the prefrontal cortex responsible for self-control has not yet matured. This "strong accelerator, weak brake" characteristic makes them prone to uncontrolled use. The article deeply examines the critical role of family factors, with research finding that parents' own internet usage habits are imitated and internalized by children, while inappropriate parenting methods such as overprotection and psychological control actually exacerbate the problem. Adolescents often use the internet to compensate for emotional deficits in reality, forming a vicious cycle between loneliness and internet addiction. In response to these issues, the article proposes that parents should transform from "supervisors" to "navigators," guiding children through active communication and jointly establishing rules, while emphasizing the need for families, schools, and society to form a collaborative intervention system to help adolescents establish healthy digital usage habits.
  • What are we pursuing when we follow trends?
    Yang Jiameng
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 37-38.
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    This article uses recent phenomenal social events such as Zibo barbecue, Tianshui spicy hot pot, and the animated film "Ne Zha: The Demon Child Havoc in the Sea" as entry points to explore the widespread social phenomenon of conformity psychology. The article points out that from the ancient "paper becoming expensive in Luoyang" to contemporary internet celebrity check-ins, conformity behavior has remained unchanged across millennia, with its essence being individuals' dual response to the need for group belonging and information uncertainty. Through the Asch line experiment and Sherif's autokinetic effect experiment, the article explains how "social normative influence" and "informational influence" drive individuals to yield to group pressure. The causes of conformity behavior include multiple factors such as social identity needs, information fragmentation, "filter bubbles" formed by algorithmic recommendations, cognitive laziness, and social showing-off needs. The article emphasizes that conformity has a double-edged effect: moderate conformity can consolidate social consensus and reduce decision-making costs, but blind conformity may lead to resource waste, safety hazards, and even group polarization phenomena such as cyberbullying. Addressing this issue, the article suggests that the public maintain rational composure when facing trending events, avoiding blind following through information verification, self-questioning, and multi-perspective analysis, allowing each choice to remain true to one's genuine needs.
  • Emotional Consumption: Don't Let Your Wallet Become an Emotional "Band-Aid"
    Shui Zhongjie, Chen Baoyi
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 39-40.
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    This article uses everyday consumption scenarios such as "limited-edition lipsticks" and "late-night food delivery" as entry points to explore the widespread social phenomenon of emotional consumption. The article points out that China's emotional consumption is growing at an annual rate of over 15%, with more than 70% of young people attributing non-essential spending to emotional drivers. Based on Self-Determination Theory, the article analyzes three major psychological motivations behind emotional consumption: when workplace pressure deprives people of autonomy, shopping becomes a compensatory way to regain a sense of "control"; when real-life setbacks undermine competence, consumption becomes a virtual badge to prove "I can do it too"; when loneliness erodes the need for relatedness, goods and social media check-ins become tools for seeking recognition. The article reveals the vicious cycle mechanism of "buy-emptiness-buy again" and proposes solutions: reshaping autonomy through establishing daily decision-making power, restoring competence with achievable small goals, satisfying relatedness needs by replacing shallow likes with deep social connections, while incorporating rational consumption tools such as budget management and cooling-off period rules to help readers upgrade their wallets from emotional "band-aids" to effective means of truly satisfying psychological needs.
  • Social Psychological Analysis and Reflection on the Popularity of "Chicken Cutlet Brother"
    Yu Jingwen
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 41-42.
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    This article uses the phenomenon of "Chicken Cutlet Brother" in Jingdezhen as an entry point to analyze the deep psychological mechanisms behind this online sensation from a social psychology perspective. The article points out that what the public is drawn to is not the chicken cutlets themselves, but rather the emotional value, authenticity, and human touch that "Chicken Cutlet Brother" provides. Based on psychological reactance theory, the article analyzes how contemporary people lose autonomy and freedom of choice under high-intensity work, algorithmic recommendations, and efficiency-oriented business models, leading to psychological alienation, while support for "Chicken Cutlet Brother" becomes a symbolic act of rebuilding subjectivity. From the perspective of psychological compensation, the article reveals how routinized life leads to emotional malnutrition, making "Chicken Cutlet Brother's" stall an "emotional oasis" where people seek substitutive satisfaction. Combining self-presentation theory and the concept of "society of the spectacle," the article points out that in a cyberspace filled with filters and personas, the imperfect authenticity displayed by "Chicken Cutlet Brother" constitutes a gentle resistance against a superficial society. Finally, the article calls on individuals not to remain at the level of psychological compensation, but rather to rebuild subjectivity and promote society to establish a stable emotional support system, making authentic interpersonal connections the norm rather than an isolated case.
  • The Big Problem Paradox: Are More Prevalent Problems Less Serious?
    Cheng Jia, Qiu Tian, Lu Jingyi
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 43-44.
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    This article explores a counterintuitive cognitive phenomenon—the "prevalence paradox"—whereby the more widespread a problem affects populations, the more people tend to underestimate its severity and threat to individuals. Through examples such as water pollution, breast cancer gene mutations, and child famine, the article reveals the psychological mechanism of "the bigger the issue, the smaller it seems." Based on psychological research, the article analyzes three major causes of this paradox: First is the optimism filter, where people mistakenly equate a problem's prevalence with it being "already solved" or "harm controlled"; second is herd mentality, where individuals gain a false sense of security within a large "risk community," believing the risk is diluted; finally is psychic numbing, where when the number of victims exceeds emotional capacity, the brain activates protective mechanisms that reduce emotional responses, leading to decreased empathy. To address these cognitive biases, the article proposes three strategies: using independent judgment to distinguish between a problem's prevalence and its harmfulness, employing minority thinking for counterfactual reasoning to confront real risks, and focusing on specific individual stories to combat the numbness brought by statistics, emphasizing that behind every grand number lies the predicament of concrete lives.
  • The Decay of the Prosperous Tang Dynasty Beneath a Blood-Stained Puzzle — The Advance Organizer Strategy in the Opening of "Lychees of Chang'an"
    Pan Jiajie, Chen Wei
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 45-46.
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    This article uses the web series "The Lychee of Chang'an" as an example to explain the application of the "advance organizer" strategy from educational psychology in film and television narrative. The article points out that the puzzle pieces presented through flashbacks and flash-forwards in each episode's opening essentially draw from Ausubel's advance organizer theory—that is, providing highly summarized guiding materials as cognitive anchors before imparting new knowledge. The article analyzes in detail the four core characteristics of advance organizers: advance presentation, high generalization, inclusiveness, and guidance, and combines opening cases from the series such as "peacock feather," "counting rods and hoe," and "pearl hairpin" to illustrate how this strategy reduces audience cognitive load, promotes connections between new and old information, and enhances depth of understanding. The article further distinguishes between two types—expository organizers and comparative organizers—noting that the latter deepens cognition more effectively by highlighting similarities and differences between new and old knowledge, such as episode eleven's "Mountain Dwelling Painting" revealing character transformation through the contrast of Zhao Xinmin's before-and-after image. The article argues that the opening design of "The Lychee of Chang'an" skillfully employs the advance organizer strategy, enabling audiences to gradually construct a profound understanding of the decaying core beneath the Tang Dynasty's prosperous facade through piecing together fragments, demonstrating the effective practice of psychological theory in artistic creation.
  • A Classic You Can't Afford to Miss — "Photo Art Therapy: A Jungian Exploration"
    Zhang Zhe
    Popular Psychology. 2026, 33(2): 47-48.
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    This article, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Carl Jung's birth, introduces the publication of the Chinese translation of "PhotoTherapy and the Jungian Approach: Explorations" and its theoretical value and practical significance. The article first elaborates on the inherent integration between Jungian thought and photo art therapy, focusing on three therapeutic methods: instant photography as a modern practice of Jung's "active imagination" technique, externalizing unconscious imagery through body postures and photography; the self-portrait box employing a hexahedral structure to present persona theory, guiding clients to recognize multiple aspects of the self; and visual transformation embodying Jung's concept of minor changes, achieving psychological narrative reconstruction through subtle actions such as adjusting postures and reorganizing photos. The article further explores the contemporary value of Jungian thought, noting that his emphasis on visual imagery aligns with the contemporary visual culture context, and that the individualized treatment philosophy is highly consistent with the book's advocacy for cross-media integration. The article argues that this work provides new perspectives for psychological intervention in China, with methods that are easy to operate and have low barriers to entry. Moreover, Jungian thought shares commonalities with traditional Chinese culture, which helps promote the development of localized psychological intervention programs, cultivate interdisciplinary talents, and make modern visual media a common tool in psychological therapy.
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