Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, reminded that not doing what a person should do is also evil, stating that the biggest cause of evil is prejudice. Tarhan noted that the interface between the soul and the brain is the mind, and also stated that the self within a person commands evil.
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, made remarkable evaluations on ‘The Psychology of Evil and Toxic Relationships,’ thoroughly explaining the psychology of evil and toxic relationships.
Why does a person feel the need to do evil?
Tarhan stated that humans are free in infinite goodness and infinite evil; “The question ‘Why do people do evil?’ is indeed a very important question. Other living beings apart from humans do not have a mental program for doing evil. Humans are left free regarding infinite goodness and infinite evil. Some people choose to do evil. In fact, sometimes doing nothing is also evil. For example, if a traffic police officer does not perform their duty in traffic, cars will collide. This is evil. Seemingly, one might say, ‘I didn’t do anything,’ but there, it becomes evil. In other words, not doing what a person should do is also evil. Even Dante has a beautiful saying: ‘The deepest places of hell are reserved for those who remain silent in the face of evil.’ This is very meaningful. For this reason, since humans are free in doing infinite good and infinite evil, before asking ‘Why do people do evil?’, one needs to ask ‘Why do they need evil?’...” he began his words.
“The balance of good and evil is like the balance of darkness and light”
Tarhan, giving an example from the law of entropy; “To understand the balance between good and evil, the law of Entropy is a very good example. It is the second law of thermodynamics. According to the law of Entropy, if you do not cultivate your home garden, it will become a dump. In other words, if you don't do good, evil happens spontaneously. In the universe, according to the law of Entropy, the balance of good and evil is like the balance of darkness and light. The most beautiful way to fight darkness is to light a candle. The way to fight evil is to do good. Not doing good becomes evil. Because it is natural to take a positive step. When you don't do this, negativity arises spontaneously.” he stated.
“The biggest cause of evil is prejudice”
Tarhan, stating that dialogue is necessary to break down prejudices; “For example, there are tendencies like aggressive tendencies, risky behavior tendencies. This is a situation present in everyone. It is possible to nourish it in a positive way, or in a negative way. Therefore, research was done on ‘Is there an evil gene?’ The brains of antisocial people work differently. This is not innate; it causes epigenetic changes in the brain through learned behaviors. It disrupts gene expression in the human brain. Therefore, no one can say, ‘This is my fate, I was born a criminal, I will remain a criminal.’ Directing it in a positive or negative way is the responsibility of the individual. We cannot cast aside our free will. A predisposition to evil or good is innate. The most selfish being and the most innocent being is a child. When a child does not experience evil, they do not confuse friendship and enmity. That is, when a cat and a dog grow up together, they become siblings, but if they meet later, they see each other as enemies. The biggest cause of evil is prejudice. The most important remedy for these prejudices is dialogue. When there is dialogue, social contact, there is empathy. When there is empathy, prejudices dissipate.” he said.
“If we feed the bad part, our dark side grows; if we feed the good part, our bright side grows”
Tarhan, likening evil to a cancer cell; “Evil spreads rapidly. If you don't take precautions against it, it invades. Evil is like a cancer cell. A cancer cell has three characteristics: it is limitless, irresponsible, and insatiable. When it starts in the body, it grows by engulfing adjacent cells. It is even so insatiable that it widens blood vessels. It starts to use most of the oxygen and glucose coming into the body. It knows no bounds, its eyes are never full, and it feels no responsibility. There is no such thing as empathy. A bad person is like this too. Developed countries, before releasing criminals from prison, first conduct empathy training with them. They are not released into society without learning empathy. Because when they come out, they commit crimes again. In other words, a person can truly be the best or the worst. There is a bad part within us. We are born with it. If we feed the bad part, our dark side grows; if we feed the good part, our bright side grows.” he said.
Fighting the past makes you lose your future!
Tarhan, stating that traumas should be turned into opportunities; “When researching the psychology of crime and violence, childhood traumas involving crime and violence hold an important place in many illnesses. Even excessive parental control and over-intervention occur. All of these constitute childhood trauma. As we advance on the path of life, our bodies get scratched, wounded, and cut. Those are trauma marks. What happens if you sit for hours dealing with ‘Why is my hand cut?’ One who fights with their past loses their future. Various therapies are performed on traumas. In the current modern approach, this is now starting to be abandoned. Because trauma is in all of our pasts. If those wounds affect today, those wounds are taken, defined, placed within a logical framework, packaged, and put on a shelf. If you live a traumatic experience that happened 20 years ago as if it happened last week, you will lose your future. It is not a smart move. Therefore, let's focus on turning traumas into opportunities. Let's not put childhood traumas in the defendant's chair today. Expecting a life without trauma is not realistic. Traumas will happen, but what is important is how we manage and face them. Evils will also appear before us in this way. Those evils will teach us how to struggle.” he continued.
“The interface between our soul and our brain is the mind”
Tarhan, stating that the self within a person commands evil; “Our 'nafs' (self) is the part within us that commands evil. That is, it is malevolent. It has characteristics such as grudge, anger, hatred, jealousy, and enmity. These are even called the five horsemen of darkness. When these five dark emotions surge in our brain, the brain secretes acidic chemicals. The brain operates focused on dopamine. With the excessive activity in that area, the emotion we call 'nafs' emerges. The emotion of 'nafs' always thinks of its own interest. Dopamine is the feeling of pleasure. It causes extreme focus in a person. It also gives a feeling of intoxication. The interface between our soul and our brain is the mind. That mind provides this balance.” he stated.
“Defining evil is easy, but fighting it is not”
Tarhan, stating that efforts should be made for the good to be in the majority and the bad in the minority; “Evil serves as an occasion for good to emerge. Adversities, events, troubles, sorrows in life spur us on and develop us to do something against them. Therefore, there is such a balance in creation. Bad people are not always bad; being unable to manage the bad is evil. They even asked artificial intelligence, ‘What would the devil do if he were alive today?’ Artificial intelligence replied, ‘He would perform digital manipulation.’ Defining evil is easy, but fighting it is not. In terms of natural balance, there is a dynamic balance of opposites. Both black and white are needed. Let's see which side we will be on here. Let our goal be for the good to be in the majority and the bad in the minority. Otherwise, evil cannot be annihilated.” he said.
“We are currently living in a period where evil is at its peak globally”
Tarhan, touching upon the normalization of evil; “One needs to be constantly vigilant against evil. When heat is gone, cold comes naturally. Similarly, those who want to do good against evil need to be active. Evil is passive. Goodness is active. When goodness is not active, evil spontaneously destroys the good. This actually causes us to remain in a state of balance. Collective evil occurs when the bad multiply. It has always been so in history. The bad have multiplied. When humanity sees the bad consequences of evil, it says, ‘Alas, humanity is going!’ This time, the good begin to multiply. We are currently living in a period where evil is at its peak globally. The bad consequences of evil have started to become visible. The events in Gaza are a very serious example of this. In the Gaza events, evil seems to have been normalized. The people there are being dehumanized. They have normalized evil by saying they are not human. This is how collective evil emerges.” he said.
“Evil should not be exposed”
Tarhan, stating that evil is attractive but also false; “Evil has an expansive, viral nature. Talking about evil confuses and misleads innocent minds. Therefore, evil should not be exposed. Its evil has a false allure. Like they say, ‘the display windows are full, but the inside is empty.’ Evil is superficially attractive but fake. It preys on a person, then draws them into its sphere and poisons them. For this reason, it is very important for us to conduct awareness campaigns against evil here. When you are aware of evil, you've gone 50% of the way. After recognizing it, the solution is easier. If the ruler in our hand is bent, what we draw will not be straight. What we draw as right is not right. Similarly, the measure of good and evil we hold is important. Therefore, everyone needs to embed their own measure of good and evil in their mind.” he stated.
Knowing oneself is the first condition...
Tarhan, touching upon self-perceptions; “If a person's ideal self is high, they project a self different from their true self outwardly. They show the self they dream of being, not who they are. These are arrogant individuals. Their biggest organs are their egos. Some walk through a cemetery whistling. You might think how brave they are. Quite the opposite, they whistle to fight the fear within them. They do it out of fear. These people try to survive by playing a strong role because they feel worthless. The gap between a narcissist's real self and ideal self is very wide. There are also people with low self-perception. In reality, their selves are good and moderate, but they see themselves as worthless. They are candidates for depression. The first condition in life is to know oneself. This is called self-awareness. The second is self-management, managing oneself. The third is relationship management. Being able to establish and manage healthy relationships with people. And the fourth is being able to manage the self, but first, knowing oneself is the primary condition. After that, the person will motivate themselves, set goals, and draw a roadmap accordingly.” he concluded.