Positive Psychology Talks, aiming for mental well-being, happiness, hope, meaningful and purposeful living, and self-actualization, have begun… The first lecture titled “Introduction to Positive Psychology: The Science of Living Well,” open to everyone interested, was held with the participation of hundreds of people from different regions of Turkey and the world.
The speakers for the first lecture were authorities in their field: Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, and Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan.
Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “We must launch a ‘Values Movement.’ There is a very serious need for this in family life and social life.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: "We want to share the resources and data we have with all of Turkey."
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan: "Our work should not be limited to our students; it should also reach the public."
Üsküdar Üniversitesi, which carries out significant studies and organizes congresses in the field of Positive Psychology in Turkey, has launched another new initiative. The Positive Psychology Talks, organized by the Positive Psychology Research and Application Laboratory within Üsküdar Üniversitesi, have begun.
The first lecture titled “Introduction to Positive Psychology: The Science of Living Well,” part of the Positive Psychology Talks and open to everyone interested, was held online on Friday, April 26.
In the inaugural Positive Psychology Talks, Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Dean of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, and Psychology Department Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan delivered speeches.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan: “Even our daily communication language is unhealthy”
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, noted that in the modern era, people's expectation levels are high, and they do not appreciate what they have, stating, “Even our daily communication language is unhealthy. If there is tension in the top management of a country, company, or institution, there is also tension at the grassroots level.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan, seeking an answer to the question of 'Why Positive Psychology,' said, “We want to integrate Positive Psychology into clinical practice. We have prepared 13 neuroscience-based modules. We will provide trainer training in the near future.”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also stated that the goal is psychological well-being and psychological resilience, noting that in the context of preventive medicine, the aim is to protect psychological health and ensure the continuity of well-being after treatment.
“Alcohol use is increasing among young people over 15”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan explained that today's reality is the 'paradox of abundance': large houses, small families, expensive watches but no time, numerous friends on social media but no real friends. He added that according to a statistic from the USA, cases of suicide, self-poisoning, self-harm, major depression, and depressive symptoms related to illnesses have rapidly increased since 2013.
“According to TÜİK figures, alcohol use is also increasing among young people over 15 in Turkey,” said Tarhan, stating that while alcohol use among youth in 2010 was due to ‘curiosity,’ in 2022, recreational alcohol use among young people was observed to have increased, and currently, the philosophy of living for entertainment has increased among adolescents.”
“Modernism has become a crisis of civilization”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that according to studies, Generation Z places more importance on success than other generations, seeks more entertainment, adventure, risk, and excitement, and desires to be wealthy. He noted that there is a growing epidemic of narcissism in the world and that modernism has become a crisis of civilization.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also stated that the current sociopolitics in the world involve the pursuit of pleasure, lack of empathy, loneliness, unhappiness, depression, and an increase in suicides. He pointed out that a study in England showed loneliness rates of 40 percent among young people aged 16-24 and 27 percent among those over 75, attributing this to social isolation and the internet.
“24 values have chemical equivalents in the brain…”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that the left brain is associated with logic, reasoning, analysis, speech, and calculation, while the right brain is related to emotions, excitement, music, art, and understanding problem-solving. He explained that there are chemical equivalents in the brain for 6 virtues expressed as wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence, as well as 24 values such as justice, honesty, compassion and mercy, transparency, courage, empathy and responsibility, trust and loyalty, shame, humility, cooperation, reconciliation, greeting, sincerity, forgiveness, generosity, sacrifice, gratitude, pluralism, participation, libertarianism, accountability, reconciliation, innovation, and loyalty.
“Positive psychology activates the brain's internal chemistry”
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also stated that positive psychology is related to serotonin, which is associated with feelings of well-being and welfare; dopamine, which is more connected to rewarded happiness; endorphins, which make a person happy; and oxytocin, which is linked to happiness brought by feelings of trust and love. He expressed that positive psychology activates the brain's internal chemistry.
Prof. Dr. Tarhan also noted that positive psychology enables an individual to achieve a state of Wellbeing – a state of goodness, and he emphasized the importance of adding meaning to life.
Tarhan stated that Üsküdar Üniversitesi incorporated positive psychology into its curriculum before many universities in the USA and England, and they have received positive feedback from students, observing a 20 percent increase in students' emotional intelligence.
What are the key concepts of positive psychology?
Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that the key concepts of Positive Psychology are the purpose and meaning of life, values and virtues, self-awareness, problem-solving skills, psychological resilience, coping with illness, building social relationships, happiness, and well-being. He emphasized the importance of transitioning to post-materialist science for the evolution of humanity.
“We must launch a Values Movement; there is a need for it”
“We must launch a Values Movement. There is a very serious need for this in family life and social life,” said Prof. Dr. Tarhan, pointing to the need for self-transcendence, adding, “A person who only works for themselves cannot be happy. People can be happy by making others happy. This is defined as self-transcendence.”
Tarhan also stated that Western policies in the Gaza events showed an attempt to sink the ship of the world, and he added, “Launching a values movement is seen as a necessity for us with the data provided by positive psychology.”
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan: “We want to share our resources with all of Turkey by overcoming mental walls"
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Rector's Advisor, emphasized the importance of 'Positive Psychology' in her speech at the launch of the Positive Psychology Talks.
“Today is an important day for us because, as the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, we will be sharing a series of talks initiated by our Psychology department within the scope of a social responsibility project,” said Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan. “Positive psychology, one of our university’s most important brands, holds extremely significant scientific content that must be brought to society. We want to share the resources and data we have with all of Turkey by overcoming the mental walls that surround us as much as possible.”
"People in Turkey feel more unhappy than people in war-torn countries"
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, recalling the world's leading universities that made their courses open source, stated that they started their work with positive psychology seminars, following in the footsteps of these universities.
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan continued her remarks as follows:
“Positive psychology is a course initiated under the leadership of our Founding Rector Nevzat Tarhan and made compulsory for all departments at our university. Various universities around the world began implementing this course after us.
According to research conducted in over 100 countries, we rank first among the countries that feel the unhappiest. People in Turkey feel more unhappy than people in war-torn countries. We observe a problem here in the meanings attributed to living, life, and happiness. Why are we unhappy people? Because happiness and unhappiness require a mental schema, and how can we change this schema, how can we fix it, how can we achieve our state of well-being? We will try to explain this under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan.”
"There are no communities in countries being bombed that feel as unhappy, angry, or pessimistic as we do "
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan also referred to another study indicating that people in Turkey are very indecisive and angry, stating, “Turkey ranks second after Lebanon among the angriest communities in the world. There must be a logic to this. Turkey currently has resources and opportunities to be grateful for many things. There are no communities in countries being bombed that feel as unhappy, angry, or pessimistic as we do.”
“Therefore, we consider it our duty to teach and explain positive psychology, and to look at the world from a positive perspective,” said Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, concluding her remarks as follows:
“There are some external factors that put us in this state!”
“There are also some external factors that put us in this state, and we will learn to combat them. Here, politically, there are also intelligence activities that constantly put Turkey under tension, there is our worldview, and there is a polarization situation that is reflected from the top of politics downwards. We cannot fully determine our affiliations, our loyalties, our place within life. This is, of course, a culture built from childhood, but we are not too late. It is possible for us to build a more meaningful, more positive, and happier life at any point in our lives. As a university, we feel this responsibility, which is why we are starting this series of talks.”
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan: “We are doing important work in the field of positive psychology”
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan of Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology Department, began his speech by thanking Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan and Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan for their support and contributions. Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan said, “With their support, we are doing important work in the field of positive psychology. I came to Üsküdar Üniversitesi because of Professor Nevzat’s interest in positive psychology. His interest is particularly significant because he is a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists, being physicians, tend to focus more on mental health disorders and generally approach people from a disease-oriented perspective.”
“We established a positive psychology laboratory”
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan stated that they have done great work since he started at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, saying, “As the latest of our good works, we established a positive psychology laboratory. Although it has only been a few months, three universities have started a similar study, taking us as an example. In this sense, Üsküdar Üniversitesi’s pioneering spirit always shows itself.”
Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan stated that in a vision meeting, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan suggested having public lectures, similar to leading universities worldwide. He added, “It was also something on my mind. We work day and night, dealing with these topics. I thought that our work should not be limited to our students in classrooms but should also reach the public. After this suggestion was accepted, we started these lectures. Our meetings will last 8 weeks, and we will cover challenging and profound topics.”
Following his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Doğan initiated the 8-week series of lectures with the Introduction to Positive Psychology Course.
Each seminar in the public training will last 90 minutes. At the end of the seminars, which are free to attend, participants who have attended all lectures will receive a digital certificate of attendance.