For ancient philosophers and early scientists, the mind was a tricky, mysterious thing. Today, the science of psychology looks to understand the mind and the many behaviors of humans (and animals, too). Some may argue it’s not a real science, by labeling it “soft science,” “junk science,” or even “pseudoscience” at times, but are those criticisms valid?
Whether you find psychology fascinating or fraudulent, the new NBC show, The Irrational, will give you direct insight into the science by looking at the world through the mind of a behavioral psychologist. In the first three episodes you’ll find solid and accurate representations of some of the biggest terms, concepts, and ideas that saturate psychology.
Our deep-thinking protagonist, Dr. Alex Mercer (Jesse L. Martin), is a professor at a well-known university who’s gone from a traumatized victim to a world-renowned psychologist. He, along with his two research assistants, are brought in to various high-stakes criminal cases in order to solve puzzles and mysterious crimes using their knowledge of behavior patterns, body language, and personality profiles.
The Irrational is vastly different from other entertainment shows that feature “forensic psychologists” in several ways, but the most obvious is the direct call out and definition of psychological terminology. Having the inclusion of research assistants means Mercer can discuss the terms outright and get his assistants to discuss what they mean and how they can apply them (or not). In doing so, The Irrational really makes ideas and concepts stick and make more sense than simply reading them in a textbook would.
The Irrational‘s opening is a fantastic introduction to behavioral science, providing a basic visual and verbal definition of what irrationality could take the form of in a person’s daily life. It’s interesting to note the similarities between Mercer and Dr. Dan Ariely, author of the real book Predictably Irrational, professor at Duke University, and the psychology consultant for this show. I initially went in looking for poor representations, but with Ariely as a consultant, there wasn’t much to disagree on.
During the pilot of The Irrational, we begin to see our main character as a smooth, intelligent man who’s not without his own personal struggles. Mercer’s very good at seeing others’ behavior through the lens of an experiment or a clinical case, but it seems like he only vaguely applies that rationality in his own life. Mercer’s coping well with the effects of PTSD and a divorce from a woman he still loves, but he’s definitely human and gets ahead of himself in some dangerous situations, and sometimes still feels a little left out in the cold — despite knowing how to reason his way out. This makes Mercer super endearing, and you can’t help but see a hint of yourself in him.
The first psychology concept introduced in The Irrational is in a scene where a man holding a baby hostage is giving out specific demands. After Mercer talks him down, an FBI agent asks him how he did it and he replies, “paradox of persuasion,” and suggests that he overtly accepted the man’s plan while helping him walk through it enough to see it was a bad idea. It’s worth noting that this concept was originated in 1984 by Robert Cialdini — essentially the king of influence psychology — and it’s generally associated with marketing, but it can be applied to daily life, with seven principles that include things like “appeal to authority” and “reciprocity.”
This is within the first five minutes, and it only gets better from there. In the second episode of The Irrational, “Dead Woman Walking,” we see a little more of the detective nature of Mercer, as he searches for a murderer. This episode builds on the pilot and digs deep into how the knowledge of personality types and body language can provide insight, and even help manipulate individuals into divulging their deepest, darkest secrets. As a potential murder and national security incident unfolds, the viewer is drawn into the mysterious unknown of Mercer’s own trauma.
In some ways it seems like The Irrational is an attempt to show that psychology is more than just a “soft science.” A great example of this is in the third episode, “The Barnum Effect,” when Mercer explains why the fear of flying is illogical compared to the higher risk of driving. He proceeds to back his argument up with factual data and statistics on airliner deaths versus car crash fatalities in the U.S. (yes, I fact-checked it, and it was accurate).
The Irrational is great fun and I wish I could plow through the rest of the season right now to solve the mysteries of Mercer’s past. The psychology presented here is solid and so well explained I couldn’t really pick it apart. People are, as Mercer says in the intro, predictably irrational, and The Irrational definitely demonstrates that by showcasing the link between crime and human behavior. Sure, some things are sensationalized — it is entertainment, after all — but it’s definitely a win for the psychology crowd.
AIPT Science is co-presented by AIPT and the New York City Skeptics.
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