Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector - Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, was a guest on Bağcılar Guidance and Research Center’s “Parent Academies” program. In the program broadcast live on Instagram, Tarhan made important evaluations on “Positive Psychology Practices in Education.” Emphasizing that people should pursue meaning throughout their lives and that this meaning will give them happiness, Tarhan said, “When a person comes to the end of their life, there must be a meaning in their ego ideal. Working for one's homeland, working to create a work of art, trying to do something that will leave a mark in history is a meaning. There is a metacognitive gene related to meaningfulness in humans, and this gene only exists in humans. A dog's world of imagination contains bones. However, a human's [world of imagination] is different for everyone. People with a broad world of imagination are those who can make discoveries. Everything starts in the world of imagination.”
“Positive psychology is the science of raising good people”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that positive psychology makes human life better. Tarhan said, “Classical psychology brings the negative to zero. Positive psychology turns zero into positive. When positive psychology is mentioned, it is always understood as 'Pollyannaism.' Positive psychology is not Pollyannaism. Not only people with psychiatric problems need positive psychology. This is a preventative mental health work. In positive psychology, a person learns such information and guiding practices that when they apply them in their life, they avoid the brink of depression and can manage an event more easily when they encounter it. When a person learns these, they gain a protective barrier for their mental health. Positive psychology provides this. In summary, positive psychology is the science of raising good people.”
Freedom went too far!
Tarhan underlined that people now prioritize individualism over society, and with this, egoism and narcissism have emerged; “Currently, individualism has come to the fore instead of collectivism, and its dose has been exceeded. More often after the Second World War, individualism came to the fore as a reaction to collectivism. Individualism became individuality, and egoism emerged. Human types whose largest organ is their ego, who see everyone else as inferior to themselves, were presented as ideal human types. This situation also pleased the capitalist system. These people are narcissistic individuals. The form of egoism that has become a personality is called narcissism. Narcissists have a tremendous fear of being ordinary. They can even break rules to avoid being called an ordinary person. These people see others as obstacles for their own benefit and crush them. The dose of freedom has been exceeded. The individual must be free but also be a part of the social structure. This exists in our culture. It has never been seen in our culture that the individual is oppressed.” he used the expressions.
People with a positive perspective manage events more beautifully!
Tarhan emphasized that one of the secrets to enjoying life is being in a positive emotional state, stating, “Seligman has a beautiful definition related to positive psychology, the PERMA model he describes. One of the steps of the PERMA model is for the person to be in a positive emotional state. If a person's perspective is positive, they manage events more beautifully when they go through various trials. People with a negative outlook constantly have high anxiety, are skeptical and do not enjoy life, and cannot comfort themselves because they look at events from a negative side. There are super-agers, ninety years old but with brilliant minds. A common characteristic emerged from research conducted on them. The brains of people who feel psychologically well and experience a positive emotional state do not age. I had the opportunity to speak with Eric Kandel. When I asked him how he stays so vigorous and active, and what he owes his ability to follow innovations to, he replied, ‘I enjoy small things.’ In other words, he is in a positive emotional state. Enjoying ordinary things, like being happy from drinking tea, are actually things that exist in our culture.”
“Living in the moment is beneficial, but living for the moment is a kind of manipulation of hedonism”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; “Living for the moment is misunderstood. It’s an approach like ‘forget the past, forget the future, enjoy today, spend what you earn today.’ However, genetically, humans are the only living species that is mentally concerned with the past and the future. No other living creature apart from humans has a perception of time and death. Because humans realize this, they have 'if onlys' about the past and 'what ifs' about the future. But if it’s said ‘live in the moment’ rather than ‘live for the moment,’ then think about the past, but don't bring past traumas to today; take them, resolve them, and put them on a shelf. Make your plans for the future, but stay in the present. If it means 'live in the moment,' it's beneficial, but if it means 'live for the moment,' it becomes a kind of manipulation of hedonism.”
“Humans need to define their boundaries using their minds”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, pointing out that humans need to define their boundaries using their minds to be in a better state, said, “There are things a person's power is sufficient for and things it is not; there are things they can control and things they cannot. Within this, they need to define their boundaries using their minds. Being able to define this is a skill; it requires mental effort and investment. Therefore, for a person to desire something they cannot control, to commit themselves to it, to cling to something unsustainable, brings suffering. For this reason, in such situations, a person who can think positively is someone who can distinguish between what their power is sufficient for and what it is not. This is actually time management, being able to prioritize importance. A person who can do this has developed strategic thinking skills.”
This gene exists only in humans!
Tarhan also touched upon the principle of meaning within the context of Seligman’s PERMA model. Tarhan stated that humans must pursue meaning throughout their lives, using the following expressions: “When a person comes to the end of their life, there must be a meaning in their ego ideal. Working for one's homeland, working to create a work of art, trying to do something that will leave a mark in history is a meaning. There is a metacognitive gene related to meaningfulness in humans, and this gene only exists in humans. A dog's world of imagination contains bones. However, a human's [world of imagination] is different for everyone. People with a broad world of imagination are those who can make discoveries. Everything starts in the world of imagination. Our personality is defined by what meaning we pursue and what we are most curious about. Let's think about what our heart loves most, what is at the top of our love pyramid; that is our sacred. We worship what we love most. As for meaning, whichever meaning we prioritize, we accept it as the highest value. If a person’s effort and zeal are in pursuit of a great meaning, that person becomes a small nation, a community. If their meaning is society, if their effort and zeal are their nation, that person becomes a small nation and a part of it, and a harmony is formed in the social structure. Therefore, pursuing meaning is also something that gives peace to a person.”