Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who gave a conference titled "The Search for Meaning in a Changing World" at the 3rd Positive Psychology Days organized by Üsküdar University, stated that modernism is experiencing a crisis of civilization and said, "Hedonism and narcissism are serious psychological variables of the age, and as a result of these, loneliness and unhappiness emerge." Prof. Dr. Tarhan stated that lifelong love will be possible by ensuring the balance of serotonin and dopamine and said, "Love plus cooperation equals lifelong love. In other words, people who have managed to establish good cooperation can turn love into mature and sustainable love."
The 3rd Psychology Days, organized by Üsküdar University Education and Research Club and Psychology Club, aims to introduce psychology students to faculty members working in different subjects and institutions, and to enable psychology students studying at different universities to communicate in an interactive relationship.
Making the opening speech of the program held at Üsküdar University Çarşı Campus Emir Nebi Conference Hall, Üsküdar University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Head of Psychology (English) Department Dr. Faculty Member Asil Özdoğru said that the theme of the third Psychology Days, which they have been organizing as a university since 2016, is "Changing World, Transforming Human". Prof. Dr. Asil Özdoğru said that seven conferences will be given by experts in their fields.
Prof. Dr. Sırrı Akbaba: "An understanding of psychology based on the fact that human beings have a soul should come into play"
Üsküdar University Rector Advisor Prof. Dr. Sırrı Akbaba stated in his opening speech that they aim for young psychologist candidates studying at different universities to come together and exchange ideas and said, "Thus, we want to be able to see our minuses and pros and turn our minuses into pluses." Stating that the perspective of psychology schools from the past to the present is mechanical and that it causes people to look at human beings as if they were a machine by ignoring that human beings have a soul, Akbaba said, "With a single point of view, we cannot give human beings their true value. An understanding of psychology that recognizes that every human being has a soul needs to come into play. We believe that the 21st century will come into effect in the form of an understanding of psychology that offers people their true human identity."
Family shrunk while houses grew
Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan gave a conference titled "The Search for Meaning in a Changing World". Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that today, houses are getting bigger while the family is getting smaller, less common sense prevails despite more promotion, less emotion prevails despite high IQ, less peace prevails despite high income, less humanity prevails despite more people, and that all of these are the reality of today.
Where did Positive Psychology come from?
Stating that the data of the Child Defense Fund in the USA reveals the facts about the situation of young people and children in the 2000s, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "In one day, 3 young people under the age of 25 die of AIDS and 25 of them are infected with HIV virus. 6 children commit suicide. 342 children under the age of 18 are arrested for violence. 2,833 children drop out of school. At that time, the government panicked; it allocated a budget of 5 million dollars to Seligman and his team and commissioned a study. In 2008, the Positive Psychology Congress was held in connection with the completed study."
We have been teaching Positive Psychology as a course since 2013
Stating that Positive Psychology has been taught as a course in the world's leading universities in recent years, Tarhan said, "Harvard University started to teach Positive Psychology as a course in 2015. Yale University introduced Positive Psychology as a course in 2018 and finally Bristol University in the UK introduced Positive Psychology as a course in 2019. As Üsküdar University, we have started to teach Positive Psychology as a course since 2013."
Modernism is experiencing a civilization crisis
Stating that modernism is experiencing a crisis of civilization in the world today, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the phenomenon called California Syndrome is widely experienced in the California region and said, "An understanding that calls the meaning of life hedonism, an understanding that establishes the search for meaning only on pleasures. The person is experiencing existential crisis, he is not happy despite having many things, such a type of person has emerged. This type of person attributes happiness to external causes. The person who chooses hedonism as an ego ideal lives by putting himself at the center of the world. Hedonism and narcissism are serious psychological variables of the age, and as a result of these, loneliness and unhappiness emerge."
The frontal region of the brain is the wheelhouse
Stating that the 4D rule applies when the human brain makes decisions, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "It makes decisions based on emotions, thoughts, behaviors and values. There was a revolution in psychology in the 1990s. It turned out that emotions can be measured. Happiness is managing the chemistry laboratory in our brain. The frontal region of the brain is the region that makes a person human, the wheelhouse of the brain. Decision-making, focus, self-control, self-management, empathy are controlled by this region. This region is not developed at birth, it has potential. This region of the brain is developed later."
Love plus cooperation equals lifelong love
Drawing attention to the chemistry of love, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the balance of dopamine and serotonin should be maintained. Tarhan said, "Dopamine is such a chemical that it is a hormone related to pleasure in the brain. As dopamine increases, attention and focus increases. When you fall in love, you focus only on that person. If serotonin decreases while dopamine increases, this time obsessive love emerges. There is an increase in energy in the person. Turning pathological love into mature love is about developing the frontal region of the brain. In such cases, lifelong love emerges. Where is the secret to this? It is necessary to learn how to balance serotonin and dopamine in the brain. For this, love plus cooperation equals lifelong love. In other words, people who have managed to establish good cooperation can turn love into mature and sustainable love."
The search for meaning is a journey formed by our choices
Stating that the search for meaning is a journey formed by our choices, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "Optimism is a choice. Forgiveness is a choice. Honesty is a choice. Changing ourselves, shared wisdom is a choice. Gratitude is a choice. Respect for others is a choice. Living meaningfully is a choice. Living a happy life is your choice."
Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan talked about the changing political psychology in the world
In her conference titled "Changing Political Psychology on Authoritarianism, Radicalization and Malignization", Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar University, explained the phases of political psychology from the 1800s to the present day.
Evaluating the changes in the world in terms of political, economic and social relations, Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan stated that the balances have changed after September 11 and that states look at issues through security and said the following:
"Not only the World Trade Center is collapsing. The globalization paradigm is collapsing. States are now starting to look at the world through security. Issues such as cooperation, production and consumption are not important. The main issue now is a terrible threat. There is something called al-Qaeda that can strike anyone at any moment. Total military expenditures in the world jumped from 700 billion dollars to 1.68 trillion dollars. All the economic resources of the world are being pumped into military resources through channels such as education, health and cosmetics. We now see the world on the security axis. There are threats. We have fears. When we are afraid, our political behavior changes. When we are afraid, we start to legitimize all kinds of authoritarian regimes. When we are afraid, what appears to us as an enemy starts to appear bigger than it really is. Radicalization and radical ideas define one group as the enemy and on the other side there is an understanding of the state that has to defend us. There is nothing wrong with it being authoritarian, there is nothing wrong with it taking away our rights because we are afraid. Because we have security concerns. Al-Qaeda is ending, ISIS is starting, tomorrow ISIS will emerge and this means that the state authority is gaining more and more legitimacy and the antidemocratic methods it applies are accepted without much discussion. While only 12 countries around the world had border walls when the Berlin Wall fell, today 77 countries surround their borders with walls."
Different aspects of psychology were discussed
Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Erkmen from Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital, "How has the world changed? How did man transform?", Prof. Dr. Zuhal Baltaş, "Digitalization Beyond Thought Chains"; Prof. Dr. Gökhan Oral, "The Changing World of Crime and Psychology"; Prof. Dr. Aylin KÜNTAY, "Language and Communication Development in Childhood: How Can We Support It?" and Dr. Maria Claudia Ionescu, "Psychology in Romania".
The program, which was held this year with the theme of "Changing World, Transforming Human", continued for two days.
The program included lectures by faculty members who are experts in their fields, workshops on different topics, the Living Library event that introduced Psychology students to disadvantaged groups, and an alumni panel.