Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "There are no stray animals in our culture!"

President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan was the guest of the live broadcast of the Gün İçinden program broadcast on the National Channel. Commenting on the topic of "Why Has Violence Against Animals Increased?", Tarhan pointed out that the tendency to violence has increased at the global level. Reminding that one of the reasons behind violence is the lack of empathy, Tarhan said that selfish people are the ones who resort to violence the most. Stating that none of the dogs that seem to be stray in our culture are stray, and that these animals are taken care of by the neighborhood, neighbors, and children, Tarhan added that there has been a great change in the culture. Tarhan also noted that putting animals in shelters is not a solution.

"A characteristic of the evil side of human beings..."

Pointing out that the tendency to violence has increased in general, President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that this increase is global. Tarhan stated that "There is a general increase in violence against people, animals, women, the weak and powerless, and this increase has increased not only in Türkiye but also globally. Animals are also affected by this increase. While analyzing this, it is necessary to consider it in terms of humans, animals, and social psychology. People with high feelings of anger and personality disorders try to take their anger out on those who are weak and powerless. They direct their anger at those who cannot protect themselves, who are vulnerable and defenseless, children, people, the weak, the powerless, the elderly. Unfortunately, this seems to be a feature of the evil side of human beings."

"The animal does what its genetic code requires"

Stating that animals act according to their genetic codes, Prof. Tarhan expressed that "Animals do not have a choice of infinite goodness or infinite evil like humans. The animal does what its genetic code requires. If a dog is not rabid or if it is properly trained, it will not hurt. There are safe areas that the dog considers to be his own space where he lives. If someone in his power or a weak, cowardly person enters, he attacks him. The animal acts according to what its genetic code is. For this reason, it would be an extremely unfair practice to put animals in the dock immediately. They are our mute friends who live with us. Thus, we need to try to understand them. Instead of blaming stray dogs that live uncontrollably, we need to remember the responsibilities of those who want to adopt these dogs."

"The tendency to violence increases in people who have experienced childhood traumas"

Mentioning that children who were exposed to violence in childhood increased their tendency to commit violence when they grew up, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that antisocial personality disorder emerged in some of these people. Tarhan expressed that "The most important reason behind violence is childhood traumas. People who experience physical abuse and physical neglect in childhood become violent people in later life. Especially children who are exposed to physical violence, beaten, locked in a room, raised by being frightened by fire, that is, raised with physical abuse, are very likely to resort to violence in the future and to inflict violence on people weaker than them. Physical neglect also leads to violence. They stay confined to the house, there is emotional neglect in some way, they are not loved, and the tendency to violence increases in people who have experienced childhood traumas. Some of them have antisocial personality disorder. People with this personality disorder have made it a method not to follow the rules and are always in legal trouble. They committed violence, they were not punished properly, or even if they were punished, they were released from prison without any remorse. When such people are released from prison, they make violence a method."

"One of the reasons behind the violence is a lack of empathy"

Pointing out that lack of empathy is one of the reasons behind violence, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that "When empathy and love are combined, compassion emerges. People who have a sense of empathy are those who are able to take into account the rights, needs and feelings of those who do not have them. When love and empathy are combined, a sense of compassion is formed, and this is a social emotion. They have a tendency not to want to hurt the other party and it also evokes a feeling of inner peace and happiness."

"People who learn violence as a method of seeking rights become easy to apply it"

Stating that violence seen in television programs as well as violence in the family has an important role in violence, Prof. Tarhan said that "In the studies carried out to learn how violence occurs, what increases violence in the first degree is live violence, the violence of the person in the family. When a person learns violence as a method of seeking rights, he becomes able to apply violence easily. The effects of violence on television programs are being investigated. After live violence comes violence in games. The most effective is the violence seen live. For this reason, if there is violence in the family, the rate of violence in that person is high."

"Selfish people are the most violent"

Stating that selfish people are one of the types of people who resort to violence the most, Tarhan made the following remarks: "Selfish people are narcissistic types of people who say life first and then life for their own benefit. These people have no sense of pity, they are capable of crime. They do not feel remorse for their mistakes and therefore do not question themselves in any way. For this reason, empathy work is carried out especially for children under the age of eighteen who are left in rehabilitation centers. The rights and feelings of others are explained. After that, they are taken out of the rehabilitation center. They are not left to social life without learning this empathy. If you give a few fines to the perpetrators and send them away, the one who inflicts violence on the dog today will be violent to his wife tomorrow. The attitude of the society, the attitude of the media on this issue and the approaches of political decision-makers are also important here."

"Taking animals and imprisoning them in a cage and putting them in shelters is not the solution"

Drawing attention to the freedom of stray animals, Tarhan emphasized that they should live freely in their own environment. Tarhan stated that "In our culture, none of the dogs that seem to be stray are strays. They are taken care of by the neighborhood, neighbors, and children. It does not get hungry, it does not stay exposed, and it is taken care of. We are experiencing a major shift in culture. Animals have also been affected by this cultural change. Not everyone behaves well, and some behave badly. Animals also cannot distinguish whether what is coming is good or bad. When animals are mistreated, the animal can become malicious. For this reason, it would be a more realistic method to register the animals. Taking animals and imprisoning them in a cage and putting them in shelters is not the solution. Stray animals also have a freedom. We need to make them live in a free environment in the environment they live in. For this reason, I think that instead of putting them in shelters, voluntary organizations should take action on this issue and take care of it."

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)