Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, was the guest of the online Zoom program organized by the Saadet Party Women's Branch. In the program titled “Mental Health and Relationships in Strengthening the Family,” Tarhan made important evaluations on family structures, contemporary issues, and strengthening the family. Tarhan said; “The walls and fortresses protecting the family have collapsed. Society's social norms are the inner fortress within the family. That's why I had to write a book called 'Family as the Last Refuge'. In this era, there is a lack of norms; today, social media raises children. Television and smartphones have become the open door of the house.”
“There are very serious crises in families in Turkey”
Professionally, I see the fire in the family not as close to science, but close to truth, said Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan; “Right now, let alone the world, there are very serious crises in families in Turkey. Families are disintegrating and fragmenting. We are now seeing the fruits of the negative seeds sown 30-60-90 years ago, from a sociological perspective, for improvement. Because sociological changes have accelerated much more with communication. I am observing and examining this. There is a serious negligence among decision-makers in Turkey. It is said verbally, but in practice, there is no effort or endeavor in investments related to the family, which worries me even more. Prioritizing 'morality and spirituality' but not giving importance to the family issue is a situation I cannot understand or comprehend. The reality of today's world is, friends on social media, zero real friends, more people, less humanity, bigger televisions, fewer books, expensive watches but no time at all. The world is in such a situation.”
“Those who combine sexism with violence become sexist themselves”
Stressing that equating the concept of gender with violence is a form of sexism, Tarhan emphasized important points with these words: “Violence has no female or male form. Those who commit violence commit a crime against humanity. If we examine the life of our Prophet, he never raised his voice in family life. Later, Mesopotamian culture dominated, and under the influence of the Ash'ari school, patriarchal culture continued until recently. As a society, we are questioning patriarchal culture. It has become a global norm since 1960. Men and women are not biologically equal, but they should be equal in terms of rights and opportunities. If we define it as male violence or female violence, we are deceiving ourselves. Equating violence with gender is a form of sexism. Those who combine sexism with violence are themselves sexist. Violence is purely a moral problem. This is a process of cultural change. We will change, and we are going through that process. The roots of our culture are there. When we go back to the Age of Happiness (Asr-ı Saadet), the solution is there. There is no need to rediscover it.”
“Let’s modernize by protecting our own culture”
Stating that the number of single-parent families is increasing day by day, Tarhan said; “Single-parent families have reached up to 60%. If we are to be like this in 20-30 years, let's adopt the cultural preference of the West. If we want to mature with our own culture years later, let's modernize by protecting our own culture. Modernizing by changing our own culture is the biggest mistake our Republic has made. Modernizing by changing culture was an urban legend, which it lost. There is an education system built upon capitalist ethics. The doctrine of science is entirely according to the capitalist system. The ego and greed pursue hedonism. With these in place, individuals become alienated from society and themselves. Unhappiness and depression are increasing; let's not allow these.”
“Social norms changed, the walls protecting the family collapsed”
Explaining the concepts that weaken families with examples, Prof. Dr. Tarhan drew attention to the diseases of the age. Tarhan; “The definition of secularism is worldliness. When I mentioned secularism, some misunderstood, thinking I meant laicism. Laicism is separate. Laicism is a form of governance, secularism is a way of life, meaning living as if there is no death or afterlife. Currently, this is the disease of the age. As conscientious responsibility weakens, self-centered people see family as an impediment. This new generation does not want to marry, seeing family as a burden. There is also social anomie. Social norms have changed, the walls protecting the family have collapsed. Social norms protect people from doing evil. There are norms defined by laws, and there are social norms. Neighborhood pressure, traditions and customs are what is called the social control system. In this era, there is a lack of norms; a child growing up on the street would grow up with everyone having social norms. Now, social media raises them. Television and smartphones have become the open door of the house. Consequently, global social anomie has emerged.”