The problem of uncontrolled anger, which is encountered in all areas of life, affects social life. Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that empathy training is given to those who commit crimes in developed countries and drew attention to the need for empathy training for anger control. Stating that there may be other problems under uncontrolled anger, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said that a specialist should be consulted.
Üsküdar University Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan made evaluations on anger control in traffic, which came to the agenda with the incident that sat on Turkey's agenda last week and similar ones are frequently encountered in our country.
Anger control problem in high ego
Stating that there are many examples of anger control in traffic every day, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said that anger control problems are more common in people with high ego. Stating that people with a high ego are people with a low threshold of frustration, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "The sense of right in people with a high ego is directed towards themselves and they think that their own right is blocked. They cannot empathize in such situations. People with high ego are usually narcissistic personalities because they cannot empathize."
Beware if angry behavior is accepted in society!
Stating that psychological and cultural factors are effective in not being able to control anger, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "People with high ego are very confident in themselves, they have a feeling that 'No one can do anything to me'. They do not feel uncomfortable expressing their anger. Psychological factors are important here. The structure of the person, his/her personal characteristics and the fact that he/she has not educated himself/herself on this issue are among the most important factors. Cultural factors are also important. Anger and anger control problems are more common in affirming cultures. If the person with anger control problems is approved by the society, if the behavior of the person is accepted in an approving manner such as 'Well done, you are a lion, you did well', this behavior continues."
"Anger should not be seen as a form of communication"
Pointing out that the approval of angry behavior by the society starts in childhood, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "This situation starts especially in childhood. If a person's angry behavior is approved during childhood, the individual accepts anger as a form of communication. He starts to use anger as a tool of authority and as an expression of power. This happens in cultures that use anger and violence as a method of persuasion. Primitive and savage cultures nurture anger. However, in developed cultures, instead of expressing anger, the method of persuasion is used and anger is tried to be calmed down. Recently, we came across such an incident in traffic again. Two cars collided. One of the drivers got out of his car in a rage and was about to go for the other driver when the driver of the other car immediately reached out his hand and said 'Get well soon, brother'. In an instant, the anger of the other party passed," he said.
"Anger should not be used as a method of claiming rights"
Stating that it is important to have a threshold of inhibition in the problem of anger in traffic, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that in our society, culturally, anger is sometimes used as a problem-solving and right-seeking method and said the following:
"In our culture, unfortunately, we have characteristics that approve the use of anger as a problem-solving method, as a method of seeking rights. People who use anger and violence as a method of seeking rights and solving problems and who approve this understanding get angry more easily. Here, people who are accepted as role models by the society and administrators should not set a negative example. For example, if there is a model of anger in the parents, anger emerges in the child. If there are elders who are models of anger, the children of those people have anger."
There are three types of violence
In studies on violence, three examples are analyzed. The first is live violence. The second is violence shown on television, taught to children in cartoons or in TV series. The third type of violence is peer violence. When these are analyzed, it is understood that the most effective violence is live violence. If there is violence among first-degree relatives in the family, that is, in the environment where the child grows up, the child uses violence as a method of claiming rights, solving problems and establishing dominance."
Cultures that approve violence increase violence
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that it is important whether the person feels remorse after the violence and said, "If he/she feels remorse and did this behavior in a moment of anger, the person is more likely to receive training on anger and gain gains from this training. It is absolutely necessary to do social work in such cases of violence. Cultures that approve violence and anger increase violence."
Another reason may underlie anger
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that people who have problems with anger control should definitely consult a specialist and said that other psychiatric problems may lie underneath. Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "A teacher who had an anger disorder had implicit depression behind her problem. In the controls, we found that serotonin decreased and she had an anger control problem due to this. We gave her medication, and when she came back three weeks later, she said, 'My anger has passed to such an extent that I cannot get angry even though the students are walking on the desks. Sometimes anger has a disease dimension; in this case, it may be necessary to refer to specialists."
Empathy training is a must!
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that laws alone are not enough to control anger and that concepts and social values such as respect, decency and empathy should be taught starting from primary school:
"There should be a course that teaches our own culture and this should be a basic course, not an elective. There should be value-based education. Anger management should be one of them. Ethical values should be taught by the parents and the school together. Before raising a good engineer, we need to raise a good human being. A good human being is a person with a sense of empathy. Anger stems from a lack of empathy. In developed countries, those who commit crimes are given empathy training. They are asked 'How would you feel if someone did what you did to your mother or sister' and empathy is taught. Society needs empathy training. Lack of empathy opens the door to all evils. I think that if the education of ethical values starts at a young age, uncontrolled anger will decrease."
