Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Anger is like nuclear energy…”

Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, was a guest on the program ‘Orhan Ayhan’ broadcast on TRT Spor. In the program, which addressed the topic of “Sports and Violence in Sports,” Tarhan stated that every person is a potential candidate for fanaticism. Tarhan, likening anger to nuclear energy, said, ‘If anger is managed in a good direction, it becomes a power plant and illuminates the city; if managed in a bad direction, it explodes and destroys.’ Tarhan emphasized that anger in sports is a manageable area.  

Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who was a guest on the program with Orhan Ayhan, drew attention to sports and violence in sports.

“There is a sportsmanship in the spirit of sports”

Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the brain produces endorphins during sports and emphasized that sports instill discipline. Tarhan; “There is a sportsmanship in the spirit of sports. We can help hyperactive children gain discipline by directing them to sports. Sports provide internal discipline to children. Someone who learns the rules of sports, learns to live by rules, and does so in both an enjoyable and disciplined manner, can manage their anger and use their energy in the right direction. A person’s healthy self-development is called kinesthetic intelligence. Sports is an area for developing kinesthetic intelligence. During sports, the brain produces endorphins. Those who actively engage in sports also produce a significant amount of morphine-like substance in their brains. In fact, muscles tense during sports, but athletes feel no pain. Pain begins the moment they sit down, rest, and their body cools. Because they enjoy sports at an intense pace, get lost in it, and their brain produces morphine, they feel no pain, ache, or anything. Morphine has two properties: one is pain relief, the second is pleasure. Sports also create addiction. Those who do sports become restless if they cannot exercise when it's time. It has a beneficial addictive effect. When a person turns it into a habit, they continue it. In fact, if one suddenly stops sports, heart diseases can emerge. This means the body programs itself accordingly,” he said. 

“They experience the flow state and their performance increases”

Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, speaking about studies aimed at increasing athletes’ focus, said; “When cats see a bird, they lock onto the event. They get so fixated that they fall from the 3rd floor yet still pounce on their prey. They hear no sound from their surroundings. ‘Can we do this for athletes too?’ studies are being conducted. That is, to prevent them from hearing curses and insults. So that they focus so intently on the match that they hear nothing and don't get angry. Projects are currently underway for this. If this is taught, the person becomes closed off to external influences, focusing only on their task. Look at those who are successful. When they enter a match, they feel as if they are in a different universe. This is called the flow state. For example, a scientist enters a laboratory, hours pass, and they don't notice the time. In sports too, a person moving with this flow state gets so carried away that sports give them immense pleasure. Success follows. Footballers who do this become closed off to external influences, focus on one subject, experience a tremendous flow state, and their performance increases,” he stated. 

“If there is an objective love in supporting a team, that is realistic love”

Tarhan, stating that there should be objective love in supporting a team, said; “What makes football original are the large spectator stands. There is a group doing cheerleading and organizing. That is, these are dedicated individuals, most of whom are fanatics. There is a fanatic group and then there are other masses. Every person is a candidate for fanaticism. For example, you support a team. For what purpose do you support that team? Do you support the team blindly, or because you love football? If there is an objective love in supporting a team, that is realistic love. That is, you support and love the team, but you don't support it blindly. You call out its mistakes. This would lead the team to betterment, but if there is such blind, fanatic-style love, it also defends the team's mistakes. When mistakes are defended, athletes continue to make mistakes. That's why spectators should love football for football itself,” he said.

“Anger is like nuclear energy…”

Tarhan, stating that getting angry in the stadium is seen as a method of emotional release, said; “At that moment, it is an expressible, acceptable area for anger, aggression, and hostility. There are even those who go to matches just for that. For example, at one time men were banned from entering matches. There was a period when only women attended matches. They ask the women how the match went. They say, ‘It was very cheerful.’ They ask the men. They say, ‘We threw things tremendously.’ Women approach things emotionally. Male and female brains work differently. The male brain wants to express aggression. Being able to manage this is important. Anger is like nuclear energy. If you manage nuclear energy in a good direction, it becomes a power plant and illuminates the city. If you manage it in a bad direction, it explodes and destroys. Therefore, our feeling of anger is like a wild horse. Anger in sports is an acceptable, manageable area. It is necessary to leave anger on the field in football. If one does not project this anger into their private life, outside, there is no harm in anger,” he said.

“Sports is a rule-governed environment”

Tarhan, stating that wrong behavior should experience its natural consequence, said; “In such situations, the natural consequence should be reasonable. It's different if done intentionally, because these acts of violence, aggressive actions, harm others. We have no right to harm others. Sports is a rule-governed environment. Even if it's football, you have to follow the rules. Those who do not comply with the rules pay the price. There must be fair governance in sports. Therefore, it is important for referees to be objective. Club presidents have an important role in managing anger. Since we are a leader-oriented society, people look to the leader. If the leader is angry, others become even angrier. Therefore, anger management needs to be learned. If we teach stress management and anger management to athletes, they will get angry but they will manage their anger. If they can think about why they got angry, they can manage their anger,” he concluded.