At the beginning of the 21st century, the most important capability that we as humanity urgently need to learn and develop is to completely change the way we think about war and violence!
We urgently need to learn and teach constructive and peaceful means of resolving wars, disputes and conflicts in all contexts and at all levels.
This requires a serious change of mindset and paradigm. We need to produce, discuss and implement interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary peaceful approaches.
If we want to change patterns of behavior that are harmful to humanity and promote those that are beneficial, it is crucial that we understand the psychological causes of political behavior.
In the age of digitalization, which is growing dizzyingly in digital marketing, virtual reality, social media addiction, artificial intelligence, digital communication, social media expertise, viral marketing, blogs, influencers, digital surveillance and many other topics, the issue of how human political behavior is affected is becoming more important.
Political Psychology is an interdisciplinary, unique and quite new field of scientific study both on a global and national scale. For this reason, it does not have a standard education and training format, and its content and purpose of application can be shaped in different frameworks. Political psychology studies, which are shaped by an absolute academic format in some institutions, appear as an application area that contributes to the state bureaucracy in some places.
Political psychology can produce solutions that can be applied in every field. In this context, many political behaviors such as the climate of elections and acts of terrorism can now be analyzed within the broad spectrum of political psychology with neuroscientific approaches and advanced technologies. From functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to artificial intelligence applications, from eye movement analyzers to transcarnial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the stimulation/suppression of brain activity, the world of science is now on the agenda both in civilian and military settings.
This brings us to the crossroads where the intersection of political science and psychology is inevitable.
The studies conducted in this field, which can be considered new not only in our country but also in the world, are generally foreign-based studies. Üsküdar University established the Political Psychology Application and Research Center in December 2018 and aims to organize symposiums, conferences, workshops and produce scientific research and publications. With our activities, on the one hand, we plan to realize a vision for our students, on the other hand, we aim to bring together academics working in this field and to reach a point that will bring together internationally qualified institutions and networks.
As the Political Psychology Application and Research Center, we hope to contribute to the peace process and to provide academic infrastructure and environment for the production of new and applicable solutions in order to identify social needs and problems.
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke KAYNAK
PPM Director