Stating that it is important for an individual to set new goals to develop themselves, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan advised, “Our today should not be the same as our yesterday. It is important to aim to add more than one thing to our life basket the day after, compared to what was there the day before. Let's fill our life basket with beautiful things. Let's enter 2022 with such an intention.”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, made evaluations and offered advice on psychological well-being in a new year.
Stating that the concept of psychological well-being has been discussed in scientific literature since the 1960s, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “The term psychological well-being refers to the idea that a positive person is a mixture of both positive and negative emotions, not just positive or negative emotions. The starting date of scientific theories, the known date in modern psychology, is 1960, but the history of expressing this truth goes back thousands of years. What we call Anatolian wisdom, Anatolian enlightenment, was actually the teaching of positive well-being. The teaching of positive well-being has now become a scientific category. It is taught as a course, especially at Harvard, Yale, and long before these universities, at Üsküdar Üniversitesi.” he said.
Positive psychology emerged from a need
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the field of positive psychology emerged from a need, saying, “In crime statistics and divorce statistics, there is a significant connection between psychological well-being and quality of life. There are meaningful indicators such as individuals with psychological well-being being less prone to crime, less prone to divorce, and less likely to be candidates for depression. Following this, scientific research focused on how to increase psychological well-being. It was said, 'Individuals with psychological well-being manage events better, manage stress better within the family. We need to scientifically value this well-being, we need to scientifically examine it.' While doing this, neuroscience came to the rescue and provided evidence on how the brain works in a state of happiness.” he explained.
There are three types of preventive mental health
Pointing out the importance of preventive mental health, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “There are three types of preventive mental health, especially for healthy people, that do not require clinical treatment. First, what can be done to prevent healthy people from getting sick? Second, identifying risk groups and diagnosing the disease early to intervene before it progresses, without hospitalization or requiring severe treatment. Third, protective measures. Protection aims to place individuals under protective treatment to prevent recurrence after they have recovered from the illness. This psychological well-being is very useful in the first and third stages. The aim is for healthy people to live happily and be productive.” he said.
Psychological well-being includes “self-acceptance”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that defining happiness solely by hedonism and selfishness is incorrect, saying, “In the understanding of 'live as you please, break the chains, tear down the walls,' a person seems happy, but this is a short-term happiness. There is no medium or long-term happiness. In psychological well-being, the concept of long-term also came to the forefront. In positive psychology, the goal is for an individual to act long-term, aim for long-term happiness, and be able to endure some short-term difficulties. Therefore, the first condition of psychological well-being is not trying to make oneself happy, but self-acceptance, which is called 'öz kabul' (self-acceptance).” he stated.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that the ability of a person to accept themselves by saying, ‘This is my strong point, this is my weak point. I know my weak point, but I will act by focusing on my strong point’ is called self-acceptance. He added, “There are some people who play the role of happiness; they appear happy. But there is a storm in their inner world. This is a person who cannot practice self-acceptance. They are only that way outwardly.” he said.
A psychological SWOT analysis should be done for self-acceptance
Emphasizing that a person must know their emotions very well for self-acceptance, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan recommended conducting a psychological SWOT analysis for this purpose. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “What is a psychological SWOT analysis? Know your strengths, know your weaknesses, know the potential threats awaiting you in life, know the opportunities, and make healthy decisions accordingly. Practicing self-acceptance within psychological well-being is the first condition. The second condition is for a person to be able to establish positive social relationships based on trust with others. If a person cannot succeed in establishing trust-based social relationships, if their relationships are always fueled by anger rather than trust, if they argue with everyone, become tense, and pursue success in that manner, which the capitalist system encourages.” he explained.
It is necessary to set meaningful goals
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the most important thing to focus on in psychological well-being is for a person to be able to analyze and know themselves. He said, “The individual should then address their negative and positive aspects. They should consider not only their own well-being but also social well-being. They should consider the well-being of the people they live with. When they consider their well-being too, it means they are proceeding in accordance with the science of goodness and the rules of psychological well-being. Human nature is multifaceted and complex. There is no single truth. Each person's truth is different. It is necessary to set meaningful goals.” he said.
Relationships should be complementary, not competitive
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the capitalist system encourages competition in personal relationships, just as it does in life. He said, “Life is not like a football match. There is competition in a football match. Approaches like 'I want to have the ball, always be in the forefront, always score goals myself' are temporary goals. If this becomes a life philosophy, the person will be unhappy. However, in relationships, complementarity is important, not competitiveness. There is a complementary relationship, not a competitive one, between a child and a mother. There should be a complementary relationship, not a competitive one, between husband and wife.” he said.
Focus on the good, say no to the bad
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the science of psychological well-being also recommends establishing empathy-focused relationships in human interactions. He said, “Trust-based and empathy-focused relationships should be established. You should neither dominate nor be dominated; such a relationship needs to be built. A person will succeed in being 'us' while preserving their own personality, remaining 'me', at home and in their family. Individuals will know how to protect their private spaces.” Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan also stated that in positive well-being, one must be able to say no to the bad while focusing on the good. He added, “In fact, positive psychology and well-being are the science of gaining a positive perspective. We can also call it the science of changing one's outlook on life and events.” he said.
Those who only pursue their own interests will be left alone
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that individuals also have responsibilities towards the society they live in, saying:
“An individual does not only have responsibilities towards themselves. Egocentric people cannot achieve psychological well-being because they see themselves at the center of the world. Relationships with the environment are also important in achieving psychological well-being. It is necessary to make good friends and master good friendship and companionship relationships. A person needs to establish their life purpose well. A person will have both a concrete and an abstract purpose. What is the abstract purpose? How do you want to be remembered when you reach the end of your life? What do you want to put into your life basket as you reach the end of your life? For example, 2021 is ending, what did we put into our life basket? What do we aim to put in next year? Do we always say 'me, me, me,' or do we say 'one for you, one for me'? In a life philosophy that always says 'me, me, me,' the purpose of life is only one's personal interests. Someone who only thinks about and pursues their personal interests will also be left alone and unloved. The people around them will be there for their power, or for their benefit.”
Establishing positive relationships is important
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that Yale University offers its positive psychology course as “The Science of Well-being.” He said, “It is important for a person to establish positive relationships in their life. In these courses, there is a gratitude module. What does the gratitude module teach? There is a person who has done you a kindness in the past. They did something nice for you. You are advised to buy a gift and visit them. This is given as homework to students. When the person goes with the gift, the other party is surprised. When asked, ‘Why did you do this?’ they reply, ‘You did this for me in the past. It came to my mind and I wanted to thank you.’ An incredibly beautiful friendship begins.” he said.
It is necessary to be open to new experiences
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that positive, human-centered relationships, not interest-driven ones, should be established. He said, “It is important for a person to aim for these things. These are short-term goals. A person's effort to develop themselves is also part of psychological well-being. If a person is in the same place 10 years later and does not constantly direct themselves towards self-improvement, towards trying new experiences, this is called a person being happy with small successes. For example, they have small goals. Spending a nice weekend, for instance, that is a goal. When you do that with your children, when you make everyone happy, you also feel immense pleasure. You become at peace with yourself. A person must constantly be open to new experiences, try new ways of living.” he said.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that individuals open to new experiences are also open to criticism. He said, “Such individuals see criticism as a gift if it is useful; if not useful, they analyze it and continue on their way.” he said.
Let's fill our life basket with beautiful things
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that setting new goals in 2022 is important. He said, “It is important for a person to develop themselves. We must have a goal like personal development. Our today should not be the same as our yesterday. Let's not have the same things in both our daily lives and our life basket. It is important to aim to add more than one thing to our life basket the day after, compared to what was there the day before. Let's fill our life basket with beautiful things. Let's enter 2022 with such an intention.” he advised.