Stating that the first step in humanity's fundamental search for meaning is self-knowledge, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizes that for this, it is important for an individual to criticize themselves, question themselves, and identify their shortcomings. Highlighting that self-actualized individuals are at peace with themselves, Tarhan summarizes individuals who develop themselves with 4 sentences: “Those with fundamental values, who earn through labor and honest sweat, live with dignity, and possess value judgments. Such people are at peace with themselves and walk with their heads held high.”
The feeling of fundamental search for meaning is always being explored
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that humans have a fundamental search for meaning, and this feeling has been explored since ancient times, said, “Socrates was one of the first to recognize this feeling. The purpose of human life is to be virtuous. When his execution was decided, his wife asked, ‘You are going to your execution, you are not wrong. Why don’t you object?’ He replied, ‘Would they also be right?’ He was that confident. Despite everything, he was going to his execution without begging, apologizing, expressing remorse, or abandoning his principles. Because he believed in life after death and the permanence of the human soul. He believed that being virtuous was the goal of life. This is an approach that values self-knowledge. His student Plato continued it. Aristotle somewhat corrupted it, later developing an elitist philosophy. In the style of aristocratic philosophy. He divided society into masters and slaves. 200 years after him, Epicurus said that the purpose of human life is to pursue pleasure, and he later corrupted that philosophy. The first to put forth that philosophy in Islam was Farabi. That’s why Farabi is called the second Aristotle.”
The question 'Who am I?' is the most important question
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that when looking at all philosophers, a constant search for meaning is observed, saying, “Who am I? Where should I turn? Why? – these are the questions humans ask. The question ‘Who am I?’ is the most important. No other living creature asks ‘Who am I?’ Think about the fantasy world of a cat, a dog, a horse, a lion; it’s about eating, drinking, reproducing, and sheltering. Think about the human fantasy world; alongside meeting all basic needs, here a person asks questions like ‘Who am I?’, ‘Where should I turn?’, ‘What is the purpose of life?’, ‘Where is the end of eternity?’ Humans create civilization in life. Other living creatures have not been able to create civilization.”
Through Socratic questioning, humans seek truth
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the mental structure and genetic algorithm of humans are different, which distinguishes humans from other living creatures, saying, “There is talk of genes called metacognition genes. For example, the gene for seeking novelty, the gene related to time perception, the search for meaning, the gene related to meaning perception, the gene related to perceiving death are not found in any other being besides humans. No living creature other than humans knows it will die. It is unconscious about dying. Even if it knew it would be killed a second later, it would continue to graze. Humans are not like that. These characteristics push humans to be constantly vigilant, awake, and questioning. Through what we call Socratic questioning, they seek the truth. In the past, truth was called wisdom, seeking wisdom.”
To reach a goal, one must know oneself
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that “the first step in humanity’s fundamental search for meaning is self-knowledge,” said, “Why is self-knowledge important? Imagine, you have a map in front of you. You decide to go somewhere. You mark the navigation, but first, you need to know where you are. It’s the same in a person’s life journey. First, they need to know themselves. This is called self-awareness. After self-awareness comes self-management, then social awareness. You are a part of the social fabric. Humans are not mentally programmed to live alone. The next step after social awareness is relationship management and being able to manage human relationships. For an individual to progress within this framework, the first step is self-knowledge.”
Self-actualization at the top of the hierarchy of needs
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the concept of self-actualization is a beautiful concept developed by the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow, saying, “In the 1900s, Maslow developed a hierarchy of psychosocial needs. He placed physiological needs at the very bottom of this hierarchy. Basic physiological needs like eating, drinking, reproducing, living healthily, and in second place comes the need for trust and security. The need for security includes shelter, feeling safe, the desire to be under a tent, the desire to be in a house. Above this security need, there is also the need for trust. From health security to moral security, property security, security based on fundamental human values, security of fundamental values. If a person does not have fundamental values, the feeling of fundamental value does not develop.”
Anti-family movements are contrary to human psychosocial nature
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the third level of the hierarchy of needs includes “the need for belonging, love, and affection,” saying, “Friendship, sexual intimacy, family… These are also needs. The need to be a family is important in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. In the USA, Europe, especially Northern Europe, there are many anti-family movements. Anti-family movements are contrary to human psychosocial nature. Because within a family, a person feels safe. When they come home in the evening, they need a safe space. The other is the need for respect. Self-respect, social respect, self-confidence. Being able to establish respectful relationships with others. Then, at the highest level, many characteristics such as being virtuous, creative, problem-solving, and fair emerge here.”
Tarhan noted that the fourth level of the hierarchy of needs includes the need for esteem, i.e., self-esteem, self-confidence, achievement, respecting others, being respected by others, and at the top level, the need for self-actualization.
What questions should an individual ask to know themselves?
Tarhan stated that an individual can ask themselves some questions to know themselves, saying, “Which of the psychosocial characteristics are more important? It is important for a person to have qualities such as being open, transparent, honest, fair, keeping one’s word, compassionate, kind, sincere, patient. One can ask, ‘Do I have these values? How much of these values do I have?’ In self-knowledge, asking oneself questions is very important. One needs to start Socratic questioning from oneself. Then, one needs to find their strengths and weaknesses, set a goal, and progress towards that goal. And while progressing towards this goal, it is important to be able to do routine tasks like a game.”
An individual should also know their weaknesses
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the SWOT analysis used by economists can be used in self-knowledge, saying, “What are our strengths, weaknesses, future opportunities, and threats? A person can psychologically apply SWOT analysis to their own life. There are some personal development techniques. Those techniques try to motivate a person by ignoring their weaknesses. These success-oriented tactics for success ignore a person’s weaknesses. Due to the technique that motivates the person at that moment, the person cannot manage the crisis.”
Misuse of personal development techniques isolated people
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that individuals with inflated egos cannot form relationships with anyone and start seeing those who say no to them as enemies, saying, “However, humans are social beings. A person needs to present themselves in a social environment. The misuse of personal development techniques had an isolating effect on people. The goal of personal development is to see one’s own positive, negative, strong, and weak points, set a goal, and manage one’s psychological resources. A person only knows their psychological resources if they know their own resources. Managing financial resources is not much different from managing personal resources, psychological capital, and social capital. What is resource management? You will control the inputs, expand the pool, and safely control the outputs.”
What should we do to actualize ourselves?
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that in addition to knowing oneself, knowing one’s own emotions is also important, saying, “It is very important for a person to know their talents, interests, and values. Humans have a very complex structure. Every person is original, unique, and unparalleled. Everything that is not alike is original. Every person is different. Therefore, one should not belittle anyone. One of the values is to be humble. You should neither see yourself as superior nor inferior to others. Being able to establish equal relationships with people, and succeeding in this, is very important. Only with this can we increase our quality of life. When asked, ‘What should we do to actualize ourselves?’ we can give the following answer: We need to be willing to change ourselves, be open to new experiences, take responsibility for our own lives, establish a balance between freedom and responsibility, and be able to test our motivation.”
The formula for motivation: Need + desire + goal
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that desire is required for motivation, saying, “For there to be desire, there must first be a need. Need + desire + goal = motivation. If there is a need and a desire but no goal, resources go to waste. Setting a goal is very important. A person needs to set a goal and manage resources towards that goal.”
One must also be honest with oneself and self-critical
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that abstract goals are also very important in life, saying, “How do you want to be remembered when you reach the end of your life? What kind of person do you want to be? What kind of life do you want to leave your mark on? These questions are important. There are many intellectual crises, existential crises in the Western world. They say, ‘I have everything, but I am not happy.’ Because they cannot satisfy their search for meaning. Motivation is important for that. We also need to be honest with ourselves and question ourselves. Being able to self-criticize is the most important method of self-knowledge. Being able to question oneself as a third person, to put one’s strengths and weaknesses on the table, to be inclusive is important.”
What is a self-actualized person like?
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, asking, “How do we recognize a self-actualized person?” said, “These individuals are at peace with themselves. They don’t just think about eating, drinking, and reproducing, but also about matters related to life. They love privacy, show respect to others, and do things because they are right, not for thanks. They certainly have their own ethical and moral values. I describe self-actualized people with 4 phrases: Those with fundamental values, who earn through labor and honest sweat, live with dignity, and possess value judgments. Such people are at peace with themselves and walk with their heads held high. Another characteristic of these individuals is that they are very sensitive to dishonesty. They make humor but do not belittle others while doing so. They are lively, engaged, spontaneous people. It’s easy to say this, but it needs to be actualized.”