Having left approximately 40 years behind in the psychiatry profession, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan's books, which emphasize the importance of preventive mental health in his TV programs, conferences, seminars, and written works, are considered among the classic works in psychology. His book 'The Psychology of Emotions,' which particularly highlights that emotions are a scientific category, synthesizes Western and Eastern philosophies, and shows the way to be happy even without selling a Ferrari, is evaluated in this category. Turkey's most visited digital platform, Onedio, also ranked Tarhan's book first in its list of global authors and works, titled '10 Book Recommendations for Those Who Want to Learn More by Delving Deeper into Human Psychology.'
The books of Psychiatrist-Author Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Founding Rector of Üsküdar Üniversitesi, whose readership and follower base extend beyond national borders with his works, are considered among the classics of psychology.
Many of Tarhan's books have been translated into different languages, reaching readers on various continents and making him a globally admired author. In this sense, his emphasis on preventive mental health and conducting his studies within this context is significant.
In particular;
- That emotions are a scientific category,
- His synthesis of Western and Eastern philosophy
- Showing people the ways to be happy even without selling their Ferrari, Tarhan's work 'The Psychology of Emotions' has also begun to be seen among the classics of psychology.
So much so that Onedio, Turkey's most visited digital platform, also ranked Tarhan's book first in its list of global authors titled '10 Book Recommendations for Those Who Want to Learn More by Delving Deeper into Human Psychology.'
The West, which tries to be happy by consuming, has much to learn from the East, which aims to be happy by sharing!
In the book, which also attracted the attention of readers, Tarhan summarizes his goal as;
“It has been to make emotional intelligence, a scientific revolutionary discovery, permanent by combining it with re-acquired traditions and abandoned values. The West, which tries to be happy by consuming, has much more to learn from the East, which aims to be happy by sharing.”
Tarhan addresses his readers in the preface of his book, which met its readers through Timaş Yayınları, as follows:
Modernism, which exalted reason, neglected emotions!
“At a time when he was making inventions one after another and receiving the most applause from the public, Edison was asked what his greatest invention was.
Edison's answer was, “The greatest invention is grass; our inventions and discoveries are to show what already exists.” Edison is one of the rare celebrities who managed to be both happy and productive in life. But could he have been such a productive scientist if he hadn't had scientific humility? When everything, including his workshop, burned down at the age of 67, he gathered his family the next day and said, “All our mistakes burned,” and three weeks later, he invented the phonograph. Being able to continue on one's path against difficulties, and not getting arrogant when successful, are all examples of high emotional intelligence. Why did the world abandon Edison's morality and start turning towards concrete pleasures? The answer to this question is a separate topic of discussion, but in the 1990s, it was understood that emotions were a scientific category, and as a result of neglecting emotions, people were successful but unhappy.
The industrial revolution and modernism exalted reason while neglecting emotions. In the West, people, despite being Christian by name, adopted a materialist outlook. The West also chose Puritan morality, a product of capitalism, as its moral standard.
Self-interest, egocentrism, and hedonism were important concepts used by the consumer economy to increase competition. Man, who transformed his interests into an ego ideal, had to abandon abstract values. ‘Humility increases production cost, and morality is not a scientific category’ thought became widespread, alienating the concepts of market and morality from each other.
Their reflection today is as follows: According to Shapino, the US Children's Defense Fund gives a daily snapshot of American youth:
Every day:
- 3 young people under 25 die of AIDS and 25 are infected with the HIV virus.
- 6 children commit suicide.
- 342 children under 18 are arrested for violent crimes.
- 107 babies are born to adolescent mothers.
- 2833 children drop out of school.
- 6042 children are arrested.
- 135,000 children bring weapons to school.
We are wealthier but not happier!
Similarly, there are statistical results that speak of an epidemic of depression and suicide. These figures make one ask, ‘Where is the world going?’ We are wealthier but not happier.”
In his book, Tarhan emphasizes that with the definition of emotional intelligence, it was understood that emotions have concrete biological foundations and can be included in a scientific category.
What emotional intelligence analysis has brought to humanity
“In cases where the education of emotions was neglected, the negative consequences became more apparent. IQ was rising while EQ (Emotional Intelligence) was falling. The solution was to increase it. Some abandoned values, which were Eastern in origin, began to be reconsidered. However, this time, the philosophy of Buddhism, which was not very compatible with the realities of the age, only exalted the spiritual, and effectively led to the abandonment of the world, became dominant. To find a middle ground, ways to abandon material things not physically but emotionally began to be sought. Because people were unhappy when they aimed for material and concrete pleasures. Earthly-minded individuals found it difficult to find solutions in situations where they felt helpless and inadequate. Precisely at this point, divine teachings came to the rescue. “Being with the Truth among the people, being able to abandon the world not physically but heartily” like values would add a new interpretation to emotional intelligence,” he stated.
Onedio platform shared a list of global authors in the field of psychology with its readers over the weekend. The platform recommended Tarhan's work “The Psychology of Emotions” in the first spot. The platform used the following expressions.
Delving deeper into human psychology to learn more…
“There are many books that those interested in psychology will enjoy. We have compiled psychological books that should be read by those who want to delve deeper into psychology and learn more about it. Let's invite those who are curious about this list, which book lovers will adore, inside!”
1. The Psychology of Emotions
In this book, which deals with all the emotions a human possesses, all positive and negative emotions are analyzed one by one. This book shows ways to use positive emotions more effectively and explains methods to combat negative emotions. According to Nevzat Tarhan, the purpose of his book is to explain the origin of human emotions and enable people to manage their emotions themselves.