Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Learning one's personal boundaries is also a process of maturation. Therefore, freedom needs to be interpreted correctly in this era. That is, we are free, but we are not irresponsible."
Psychiatry professor, retired colonel, author, founding rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan pointed out that those who are prejudiced against psychology view it within ideological boundaries, stating, "If you don't look at psychology within ideological boundaries, if you look at it with the motivation to seek truth, you will find the truth wherever it may be."
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, a guest of the "Türkiye'nin Çınarları" (Turkey's Sycamores) project, which photographed veteran figures from the worlds of culture, art, science, sports, politics, and business by Anadolu Agency, made statements to an AA reporter about psychology, in addition to his academic and psychiatrist roles.
Born in Merzifon in 1952, Tarhan graduated from Kuleli Military High School in 1969 and Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in 1975. After an internship at Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) and field service in Cyprus and Bursa, he became a psychiatry specialist at GATA in 1982.
After working as a hospital physician in Erzincan and Çorlu, Tarhan became an associate professor at GATA Haydarpaşa in 1990 and served as clinical director. Nevzat Tarhan, who was promoted to colonel in 1993 and to professor in 1996, worked as a faculty member at Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi and as an expert at the Council of Forensic Medicine between 1996 and 1999, retiring voluntarily.
Tarhan, who transferred his expertise in psychiatry to over 200 research articles and nearly 80 books and book chapters, founded NPİSTANBUL Hastanesi in 2006 and Üsküdar Üniversitesi in 2011 by donating all his assets.
"Today's youth will mature in abundance"
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that Üsküdar Üniversitesi currently has 24,000 students and has graduated 29,000 students to date, saying, "I am trying to analyze the youth. We saw the youth, criticized as Generation Z, after the recent earthquakes in such a way that those children bought water, diapers, and basic necessities from markets with their pocket money day and night, packed them, and worked in the field for days."
Tarhan, stating that criticisms of Generation Z are actually valid for other generations as well, continued as follows:
"Generation conflicts exist even in Egyptian papyri. There are two truths in Egyptian papyri and Hittite tablets: one is generation conflict, and the second is mother-in-law and daughter-in-law issues. Even Socrates complained about generation conflict. This is a natural thing. We matured in scarcity, whereas today's youth will mature in abundance. Maturing in abundance is harder than in scarcity. It takes a little longer. When they start losing what they have, they also begin to learn lessons. For example, this pandemic was a great resilience training for them."
"The child will be the captain of their own ship"
Tarhan drew attention to today's youth's sense of justice and their liberal tendencies, stating, "There is a balance between freedom and responsibility. Young people will learn the balance of freedom and responsibility through experience. It is a child's most natural right to want to be free. Learning one's personal boundaries is also a process of maturation. Therefore, freedom needs to be interpreted correctly in this era. That is, we are free, but we are not irresponsible."
Underlining that parents should be companions to their child, a guide on life's path, Tarhan noted the following:
"The child will be the captain of their own ship. But they will ask their mother and father 'what should I do, and how should I do it?' We don't give children the opportunity to navigate their own ship. We are overly protective. This is very common in our culture. When this happens, if the child has a sense of autonomy, they feel both love and anger towards their mother. If there is no sense of autonomy, they obey meekly, and the opposite happens in adolescence. That's why it's necessary not to approach young generations with pressure, threats, or intimidation."
"Hopefully, these associations will be recorded in our ledger as our spiritual commerce"
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also touched upon his work with civil society organizations, explaining that they founded the 'Adaleti Savunanlar Derneği' (Association of Defenders of Justice) in 2000 while the effects of February 28 were still ongoing.
Nevzat Tarhan, who stated that he was forced to retire voluntarily during this period, said, "I did not have any personal grievance. However, we had friends who were very distraught. In such a situation, we formed an association, saying, 'we must seek our rights within the legal framework.' Although I had no personal expectations or needs, I was involved in the establishment of the association solely because I felt responsible for such an obligation. I am currently continuing as the association's president."
Tarhan shared the information that the association helped over a thousand people from the Turkish Armed Forces who were victimized during the February 28 process, and stated that he was prosecuted for criticizing the Turkish Armed Forces between 2001-2004 and wrote a book titled "Psychological Warfare" on these matters.
Stating that they founded the "Haydi Tut Elimi Derneği" (Come Hold My Hand Association) in the 2010s for children under state protection, and that he served as president in this association for a period, Tarhan said, "As an association, everything we do is recorded and transparent. A serious volunteer group has formed for young people scattered across Turkey who cannot find a job after turning 18, to help them get married and receive treatment. Everyone helps that volunteer group, and aid is distributed instantly. The association is still actively working."
Tarhan also mentioned the "Mutlu Yuva Derneği" (Happy Home Association), which he founded and chaired for orphaned children under state protection, stating, "Here too, we took the children, educated them, hired foster mothers in homes, referred them to psychologists, and those children were integrated into society. This association is also currently continuing its work. Hopefully, these associations will be recorded in our ledger as our spiritual commerce. We have no other expectation."
"Managing human psychology is managing our brain"
Nevzat Tarhan, emphasizing that his work on psychology and religion has also led to the questioning of many prejudices, said, "Some, with a worldview that sees life as merely worldly and defined by material sharpness, perceive psychology within a certain reductionism or the reductionism of certain schools. However, sciences are a whole. Religion is also a science. Natural sciences are also sciences. Everything verified and proven is science. Humans are also spiritual beings. If you ignore the spiritual dimension of humans, there is no science there."
Tarhan pointed out that psychology is no longer just a social science but also a neuroscience, stating, "Managing human psychology is actually managing our brain. It means that a person with good mental health also has good brain health. Because there is a mind, or rather consciousness, above our brain. This can also be demonstrated experimentally."
Tarhan drew attention to the fact that psychology that ignores spiritual values is a crippled psychology, stating, "Those who view psychology with prejudice are those who view it within ideological boundaries. If you don't look at psychology within ideological boundaries, if you look at it with the motivation to seek truth, you will find the truth wherever it may be."
The book titled "Ezber Bozan Hayat'ta" (In a Life That Breaks the Mold), also written about Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, recounts his experiences spanning 70 years, his family, education, university and military years, and his journey after retiring from the military to establish the country's first private psychiatric hospital and first thematic university.