Prof. Tarhan: “Justice begins with the family!”

President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, participated in a conference titled “Family and the Importance of Family,” organized by the Social Affairs Directorate of the Anatolian Chief Public Prosecutor's Office within the scope of National Family Week. Highlighting that justice begins with the family, Tarhan stated that the relationship of love and trust within the family plays a decisive role in an individual's personality development. He emphasized the importance of secure attachment for children's psychological and physical development. Tarhan said that spouses in marriage should be complementary to each other, not rivals. Also touching upon the new realm of reality created by artificial intelligence in human life, Tarhan underlined that this technology should be used consciously and critically. Stating that every problem has a solution as long as there is no violence, and that violence should not be seen as a method of resolution, Tarhan noted that there is a natural causal link between family and mental health. 

The program, held at the Martyr Murat Uzun Conference Hall of the Istanbul Anatolian Courthouse, was attended by many personnel, especially members of the justice commission, deputy chief public prosecutors, judges, and chief public prosecutors. 

The conference was moderated by İrem Aydos, a Social Service Specialist from the Judicial Support and Victim Services Directorate of the Istanbul Anatolian Courthouse.

“There is a natural causal link between family and mental health”

Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that there is a strong cause-and-effect relationship between family and mental health, expressed that humans learn feelings of love, compassion, conscience, and identity not innately, but through relationships they establish with their environment. Tarhan said: “There is a natural causal link, meaning a cause-and-effect relationship, between family and mental health. This is because human infants are born neurologically and psychologically premature, unlike animal offspring. In other words, a human infant comes into the world without knowing life, having been born psychologically early. For instance, a duck can swim immediately after hatching. You see animal young stumble a few times after birth and then continue walking, but a human can only walk at around one year old. Distinguishing right from wrong takes approximately 15 years. Humans learn all of these later. Recent scientific studies have shown that we learn humanity, love, compassion, human values, conscientiousness, ethical behavior, and even the sense of identity through epigenetic mechanisms. In other words, these are shaped by epigenetic processes rather than genetics. We have a tendency to be human in our genes, in our DNA. However, if we grow up in an environment where we live with people after birth, we become human through the influence of the environment. There are also cases in the literature related to this.” 

“A child's growth hormone secretion is closely related to secure attachment”

Highlighting the importance of secure attachment in a child's healthy development, Tarhan stated that the relationship of love and trust established especially in the first years of life forms the foundation of physical and psychological development. Tarhan said: “In the family, establishing a secure relationship with the mother or a mother figure, especially between 0-3 years old, is crucial. For example, when a child is born, their first reaction is to cry. When they cry, they take refuge in their mother and calm down. This creates immense trust. The mother gives love, and the child develops trust. This is a relationship of love and trust. If the child establishes a stable, consistent, and secure relationship with the mother, this developmental process progresses healthily. The first 3 years are particularly important here. The presence of the mother or a mother figure is decisive.

Sometimes there may not be a mother, but a stable, consistent, and continuous presence can take on this role. This person could be a grandmother, paternal grandmother, or a good caregiver. In such cases, they can also compensate for this absence. One example illustrating the importance of a love and trust relationship is 'institutional anaclitic depression'. Sudden deaths can be observed in infants placed in institutional care at zero years of age. When the causes of these deaths are investigated, it is seen that children often get sick and do not grow sufficiently. This is because caregivers change frequently. Every day, a different caregiver looks after the child, interacting in a different way. They clean and change the child but cannot establish a loving relationship. When this relationship cannot be established, secure attachment does not develop in the child. Because the child does not perceive life as a safe place, they grow up in fear. The brain constantly secretes stress hormones, which slows down growth hormone and halts the child's development. The child loses appetite, becomes weak, and even sudden deaths can be observed. In other words, even a child's secretion of growth hormone is closely related to secure attachment,” he said. 

“When norms weakened, the first victims were children and the family”

Noting that the institution of family is facing various threats on a global scale, Tarhan said: “We need to make some changes in terms of vision against global capital. Because the family vision and perception of family are being transformed on a global scale. As the perception and attitude towards family change, a global trend emerges asking, 'What is the need for family? What is the need for marriage?' Our culture protected the family in the past. However, currently, the family cannot protect itself alone. Because there are various norms that protect society. Our legal professionals know this better. Legal norms come first. These norms that protect society are no longer as successful in protecting the family as they used to be. Secondly, there are social norms. Traditions and customs can be evaluated within this scope. However, these too have weakened and undergone change. Thirdly, there were family norms. Family norms protected the dynamics within the family. But today, the family has an open door: tablets, digitalization, and screens. These have also weakened the protective effect of the family. The fourth norm is moral and conscientious norms. Norms determined by conscience form morality. These are mechanisms that prevent a person from doing evil secretly. However, this area has also been shaken. When all these norms weakened, the first victims were children and the family. Therefore, we need to start the reconstruction process from here. It is necessary to move forward by rebuilding the eroded, lost family values,” he said.

“The capitalist system emphasized competition in every field”

Stating that spouses in marriage should be complementary to each other, not rivals, Tarhan said: “Husband and wife are not alternatives or rivals to each other, but complements. Our culture taught us this, but we have largely lost it. If we can revive this, many problems will be solved. The capitalist system emphasized competition in almost every field. It defined class struggles through competition, instilled a competitive mindset in companies, and encouraged global competition. Consequently, it began to view the husband-wife relationship through a competitive lens. It even carried the concept of competition into the mother-child relationship. However, parents plant seeds in the developing soul of a child. These seeds sprout over time and especially after the age of fifteen, they become effective in shaping the child's personality. These planted seeds prepare the ground for the child's development in a good or bad direction,” he explained.

A fourth reality…

Stating that artificial intelligence has created a new realm of reality in human life, Tarhan said: “Before, we talked about three types of reality; now a fourth reality has been added to these. The first is the physical reality we currently live in. The second is fantasy reality. Humans dream, create various scenarios in their imaginary world, wage wars, and experience events; but then they realize it's a fantasy and return to reality. The third is dream reality. All three of these areas are parts of the human mental world. The human world of imagination and dreams is quite different from other living creatures. When we consider a dog's imagination, there are basic needs like food or bones. However, human imagination varies from person to person; it is much more complex and rich. Now, an artificial intelligence reality has been added to these. Artificial intelligence reality has begun to affect human personality boundaries, identity boundaries, and emotional boundaries. For example, if you ask artificial intelligence more childlike questions, it starts to answer you in a more protective and guiding tone. It gives advice, makes suggestions, and can provide certain directions. In contrast, when you ask more difficult and complex questions, it approaches you with a different tone, using a more respectful and academic language. Therefore, it is necessary to be critical when interacting with artificial intelligence. Because artificial intelligence can sometimes hallucinate; that is, it can present information that does not exist as if it does. For this reason, it is important to verify the given information and maintain critical thinking,” he stated.

“Every problem has a solution as long as there is no violence”

Emphasizing that violence should not be seen as a problem-solving method, Tarhan said: “In marriage, almost every problem has a solution as long as there is no violence. However, when the issue reaches the point of violence, the parties must then turn to legal processes. In fact, violence is alien to our culture. The main source of our culture is the Holy Quran and the life of our Prophet. Looking at this, during that period, let alone violence against women, even raising one's voice against women was out of the question. Indeed, regarding some events during the time of Caliph Omar, it is narrated that he said, 'During that period, even when we spoke about an issue concerning women, we feared that a verse would come down regarding it if we said something wrong.' This approach is an indicator of the importance given to women's rights. Perhaps for the first time in human history, women's inheritance rights, divorce rights, and many fundamental rights were so clearly guaranteed. Later, we began to mistake some elements of Mesopotamian culture for our own. However, the understanding we see today as a culture of violence largely originates from this cultural heritage. A significant portion of the violent tendencies observed in the Middle East today is also related to these cultural influences. This has no direct connection with religious references. Currently, an understanding that views violence as a problem-solving method or a way to seek rights still persists. This change will take time. However, to achieve this change, it is necessary to proceed with correct methods and a correct perspective,” he said.

“Moral reasoning is of great importance in personality development”

Stating that children emulate behaviors more than words, Tarhan said: “Children emulate the actions of their parents more than their words. Therefore, moral reasoning holds great importance in personality development. While children initially cannot assess the intention behind events, during their development, they learn to understand the intent of behaviors. Within the family, to establish healthy relationships, it is important to correctly interpret the other party's intentions. Because sometimes reactions given may not stem from lack of love, but from fear of being hurt. Another dimension of moral development is patience and having ideals. Children need to learn to put in effort to reach their goals, to struggle with difficulties, and to take responsibility for purposes greater than themselves. Therefore, virtue education is especially important to be instilled at an early age. If parents set a good example, and the school and society support this education, it is possible to overcome encountered social problems. There is no need to be hopeless about this. It should not be forgotten that justice begins with the family…” he concluded.

Gifts were presented…

Following the conference, a plaque and gift were presented to President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan by Chief Public Prosecutor Mehmet Beşir Güven.

The organized conference program concluded after a group photo session.