The panel titled ‘Voter Behavior in its Different Aspects’, organized by the Positive Psychology Club, was held at the South Campus Socrates Hall. Speakers at the panel included Rector's Advisor, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Head of Psychology (English) Department Assist. Prof. Dr. Merve Çebi, and Assist. Prof. Dr. Meltem Narter from the Psychology Department. The panel discussed voter behaviors of societies, voters' perceptions of leaders and societal trauma, and the neuroscientific foundations of voter behavior.
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan; "During election periods, ballot boxes become almost sacred."
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, commenting on voters' perceptions of leaders and societal trauma, stated; "During election periods, ballot boxes become almost sacred. In societies like ours, going to the polls is the most important condition to protect rights. This election is a prerequisite for democracy. Democracy is what we call the rule of the people. However, we all know that democracy is not of a single type. Previously, when we said democracy, things would come to mind. Now, we can divide it into at least two categories: liberal democracies and illiberal democracies, because in liberal democracies, we are talking about structures where democratic rules are valid at every layer of social life, not requiring people to forgo their fundamental rights. In illiberal democracies, however, people are seen to elect their kings, their immortal gods, in a sense, by going to the polls and casting their votes. The ballot box does not constitute the state; the state does not emerge from the ballot box, but rather its administrators do. The state is a much deeper mechanism,” she said.
Prof. Dr. Arıboğan: "You go towards what you were born into..."
Prof. Dr. Arıboğan, drawing attention to the importance of socio-economic and socio-cultural factors in voting behavior, said; "Socio-economic factors are very important in voting behavior. Level of education, level of modernization, gender, profession… These are determining factors. Another important factor is socio-cultural factors, namely; belief, religion, sect, the large group we belong to, and the meanings we attach to it. You go towards what you were born into,” she said.
Dr. Merve Çebi; "Decision-making is not just a rational process, but also an emotional one."
Assist. Prof. Dr. Merve Çebi, speaking on ‘Political behavior and the brain: Neuroscientific foundations of voter behavior’, stated that a very critical election for the country's future awaits us, and naturally, interest in political psychology and political neuroscience has further increased. Çebi, summarizing António Damásio's ‘Somatic Marker Hypothesis’ in her speech, said; "When making political choices, let's examine people's decision-making processes from a neuroscientific perspective. Decision-making is not just a rational thought, but also an emotional process. There is a hypothesis regarding the effect of emotions on decision-making that every neuroscientist admires, and that is António Damásio's ‘Somatic Marker Hypothesis’. Most studies have generally focused on comparing liberals and conservative groups. Conservatism is translated as being conservative in the sense of preserving, but we evaluate the group it represents a bit differently; we mostly use it to define religious voters. However, it corresponds to a broader meaning. The liberal group tends to focus more on rights, law, freedom, and justice. Generally, when comparing the decision-making processes of these individuals, they observe that the conservative group is particularly under the influence of the amygdala. The liberal group has been observed to be somewhat more flexible and prone to taking risks. Conservative individuals are much more sensitive to sudden stress-inducing stimuli, while such an increase is not observed in liberals,” she said.
Dr. Meltem Narter; "Political stance is a very important social identity tool."
Assist. Prof. Dr. Meltem Narter, commenting on voter behavior in different societies, made explanations by emphasizing concepts such as citizenship, social identity, and political stance. Narter; "Cultural formation is a product of human beings. The necessity of living in accordance with the law and being just is shaped by three fundamental ideological structures: security, freedom, and equality. The issue of citizenship is an identity problem from a social psychology perspective. What we call identity is a decision made by an individual regarding certain groups to which they belong or feel they belong in social behaviors. Social identity systematics generally refer to a structure that we cognitively perceive positively because we belong. Political stance is a very important social identity tool. Social identity is also the supra-societal guarantee of the decisions we will make about what we want to shape our lives with in the future, for which we can strive. Currently, the decisions voters will make do not lead us to a very elucidating point regarding 'What is human political behavior? What is human voter behavior?', which we, as scientists, strive to understand. What did we choose to arrive at this decision when forming this identity? The decision we make socially is nothing but seeking approval. Who will approve of you in your own environment essentially emerges because making a decision within the normative values we inhabit actually requires courage. Being able to stay outside the norm or fighting for something that will not be approved requires courage. Therefore, in voter behavior, to choose what you can adapt to, you need to be able to understand the reference points presented to you very well. Whether a person has a decision about what kind of world they want to live in becomes evident through these behaviors,” she stated.
The panel organized by the Positive Psychology Club was followed with great interest by the participants.
The panel concluded with a question-and-answer session.