Stating that problems related to people's psychology, as much as their cognitive functions, can also lead to accidents, Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç made evaluations regarding accidents in the field of aviation and flight safety. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç drew attention to the presence of 12 risky elements and behavioral patterns underlying dangerous thoughts and behaviors in the brain.
There are 12 risky elements and behavioral patterns that invite accidents…
The guest of the Multidisciplinary Scientific Meeting held every week at Üsküdar Üniversitesi NPİSTANBUL Beyin Hastanesi was Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç, a faculty member of the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Üsküdar Üniversitesi.
In the presentation titled “A Dozen Risky Elements of Thought and Behavior Patterns - Gremlins”; the background of dangerous thoughts and behaviors in our brain and how these emotions can lead to accidents in the aviation sector were explained. The topic was examined from a psychological perspective, with examples given from some unknown-cause plane crashes in the presentation.
Gremlins were held responsible for inexplicable malfunctions
Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç stated that the dictionary meaning of Gremlin is a concept meaning “a cute-looking but evil-natured imp,” adding, “During World War II, Gremlins were the scapegoats believed by pilots and engineers to be breaking machines in flight accidents. No one doubted that these imps were responsible for particularly inexplicable malfunctions. They seriously believed this. Today, the technical and human factors causing flight accidents are known; the search for blame in unscientific places has been abandoned.”
Obsessive thoughts, fears, and anxieties can lead to accidents
Stating that the human factor in flight accidents accounts for 70-80%, Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç said, “This might have seemed reasonable back then, but what is this figure today? It’s still the same. Even with so many automation systems and artificial intelligence entering cockpits today, the human factor is still around 70-80%. The high prevalence of the human factor likely indicates that problems related to human psychology, as much as cognitive functions, persist. If we consider the Gremlin concept, there are no imps outside; the imps are in our brains. These are also referred to as psychological bugs or internal zombies. They are also called micro-processors. Some obsessive thoughts, fears, anxieties, and complexes within our brains can lead to accidents or disasters.”
12 risky behavioral patterns
Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç characterized thought and behavioral disorders with the potential to create risk in human psychology as Gremlins, categorizing them under 12 headings using this metaphor. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç noted that a scientific paper prepared by an aviation university in the USA in 1984 classified 5 dangerous thought patterns, stating, “These are listed as anti-authority, impulsivity, macho attitude, resignation, and invulnerability. This seemed insufficient to me. As a result of research into what else could be added, accident proneness (clumsiness) came to mind. I added 7 more patterns: trauma-seeking, unconscious suicide, contraphobia, insatiability for positive feedback, habit trap and lack of initiative.”
Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç, a faculty member of the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Üsküdar Üniversitesi, stated that clumsy people have a higher probability of having accidents, and that some people are consciously or unconsciously prone to and willing to experience traumatic events. Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç drew attention to the fact that anti-fear attitudes, which he explained as contraphobia, can also lead to accidents, saying, “Individuals who constantly try to convey the message that they are not afraid to those around them, and who engage in excessive compensatory efforts against fear in their brains, can cause accidents. Speeding, unnecessary fights, dangerous sports, unnecessary displays of courage during flight, and risky maneuvers can lead to accidents.”
There are more than 12 thoughts and behaviors
Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç stated that there are far more than a dozen dangerous thoughts and behaviors that pose a risk in aviation, adding that ambitions, fears, obsessions, delusions, complexes, superstitions, compulsive behaviors, and the feeling of panic can also lead to accidents.
Insight, a necessity for a safe life
Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Çetingüç stated that insight is not only a necessary concept for flight safety but also “one of the requirements for living safely, healthily, and harmoniously in daily life. An insightful person is one who knows what they are doing and why, and can recognize and correct their mistakes.”