Ekmel GECER | Marmara University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ekmel GECER

This study investigated the mediating role of social connectedness in the relationship between ex... more This study investigated the mediating role of social connectedness in the relationship between excessive smartphone use and psychological adjustment problems. 484 young adults (M = 27.04 ± 4.36 years and 72.1% females) participated in this study. Using an online survey, participants completed the Multidimensional Smartphone Use Scale, Social Connectedness Scale-Revised, and Brief Psychological Adjustment-6. The results showed that smartphone use had a significant predictive effect on social connectedness and psychological adjustment problems. Social connectedness also had a significant predictive impact on psychological adjustment problems. Further, social connectedness partially mediated the relationship between smartphone use and psychological adjustment problems. The findings are fruitful in terms of presenting evidence for tailoring prevention and intervention programs to mitigate the adverse consequences of smartphone use on psychological health.

Although psychology education, as a discipline, in undergraduate and graduate levels is mostly si... more Although psychology education, as a discipline, in undergraduate and graduate levels is mostly similar across universities in Europe and America, practical and theoretical education in its sub-domains (clinical, social, developmental, etc.) may differ. While the relationship of Psychology with other disciplines is relatively more rigid in Turkiye, in the America and European context it has a more multidisciplinary structure and course contents are more flexible. This article, following a review of the relevant literature and a textual analysis in a theoretical framework, aims to give a comparative view of Psychology education in Turkiye, America and Europe. The European side of psychology education is mostly analysed through practices and theories in Austria. However, because not all European countries were included in this study, it can be assumed that the educational forms and practices in other European countries may be different from the Austrian ones. In this regard, the study concludes that there are fewer active or interactive psychology laboratories used in psychology education in Turkiye compared to America and Europe. The results also suggest that the basic debates (legal, curricular) on the functioning and development of psychology as a science are still heated. We believe that the article will contribute to the discussions and practices regarding psychology education in Turkiye and the multidisciplinary nature of psychology around the world.

Living in an intensifying technological and digital environment makes people more engaged with sm... more Living in an intensifying technological and digital environment makes people more engaged with smartphones and related internet platforms. Alongside its highly debated advantages and disadvantages, modern smartphone use is a global phenomenon which has been mainly debated within the context of cultural and technology relationships which also influence cross-cultural activities. Focusing on one of the modern factors (i.e., smartphone use) that impact human behavior, this article presents the development of a measure of the Multidimensional Smartphone Use Scale (MSUS) and tests its factor structure to offer a scale that covers smartphone-related problems from a broader perspective. Using an online survey, a total of 514 participants took part in the current study. The scale was developed to measure a multidimensional conception of smartphone use-related problems and behavioral disorders including nomophobia, ringxiety, textiety, and phubbing which were supported with exploratory and confirmatory factors analyses. The MSUS indicated good internal consistency reliability ranging from α = .75 to α = .89. This article presents the preliminary evidence regarding the reliability and validity of the MSUS which can be used in a wide range of settings to measure maladaptive modes of smartphone use and related behaviors.

Political Psychology and Polarisation: A Conceptual Approach, 2023

This study, mostly in a theoretical way and through a descriptive textual analysis, aims to give ... more This study, mostly in a theoretical way and through a descriptive textual analysis, aims to give insights into the digital divide within the context of political and media psychology. The article creates new concepts and theories, and relates them to the conflicts on online platforms and tries to present the socio-cultural background that reinforces online polarisation based on new media and communication theories. The article discusses cultural psychology as the main motive for digital polarisation and touches upon online behaviour patterns that are considered as the driving force of rigid politicisation. Starting from this point of view, this conceptual study attempts to answer how the digital divide plays a role as a root cause or intervening factor in conflict and resolution issues and state-society relations. This work then aims to shed valuable light on the dynamics of peace and political psychology in reducing digital polarization and how terms related to socio-cultural psychology like contact theory may increase intimacy and reduce prejudices towards the other which are most likely caused by the echo chambers created on the online platforms. Therefore, this theoretical research, uncovering the potential of peace psychology and drawing upon the relevant existing literature, has important implications for reducing political polarization, the digital divide in other words, on online media platforms which will also help overcome conflicts and discriminations in daily political lives.

Ekmel GEÇER 3 ÖZ 21.yüzyılda yükselişe geçen popülizm kelime manası olarak halkçılık anlamına gel... more Ekmel GEÇER 3 ÖZ 21.yüzyılda yükselişe geçen popülizm kelime manası olarak halkçılık anlamına gelse de, toplumu iki zıt kutba ayırarak biz-onlar sınıflandırması temelinde karşımıza çıkan bir olgudur. Popülizmde biz, iyi olanla; onlar, kötü olanla özdeş hale getirilmektedir. Toplumun bu şekilde kutuplara bölünmesi ve bir grubun ötekileştirilmesi birçok demokratik ülkede olduğu gibi Türkiye için de potansiyel bir durum teşkil etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, elinizdeki çalışma popülizmin söylem biçimlerinin gözlemlenebildiği bir ülke olan Türkiye'de, yerel seçimler bağlamında popülist unsurların tespit edilmesi amaçlanmış; bu çerçevede adayların sosyal medya gönderileri üzerinden bir değerlendirme yapılmıştır. Çalışma yapılırken nitel araştırma yöntemi tercih edilmiş ve söylem analizi tekniğinden faydalanılmış; Şen & Altın (2020) ve Engesser ve arkadaşlarının (2017) kullandığı yöntemden faydalanılmıştır. Sosyal medyadan metinsel olarak elde edilen bulgular, popülist unsurların Türkiye siyasetinde aktif bir şekilde var olduğunu göstermektedir. Sadece bu bulgulardan yola çıkarak siyasilerin popülist olarak tanımlanması güç olsa da söylemlerinde tespit edilen popülist unsurların varlığı popülizme olan meyili ortaya çıkartmaktadır.

Introduction: Past research has shown that psychological and behavioral factors, including anxiet... more Introduction: Past research has shown that psychological and behavioral factors, including anxiety, fear, and preventive behaviors, are related to well-being outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet little is known about the simultaneous effects of those factors in predicting satisfaction with life among vaccinated people. Methods: This cross-sectional study is among the first to examine whether COVID-19 anxiety, fear of COVID-19, and preventive behaviors predicted satisfaction with life among the vaccinated general public in Turkey. Participants were 1,017 Turkish adults (69.71% female; mean age = 36.28, SD = 10.83 years) who completed online self-reported questionnaires. Results: Results showed that increased levels of anxiety and fear of COVID-19 significantly predicted reduced satisfaction with life over and above the effects of sociodemographic and clinical factors. Discussion: The findings suggest the importance of tailoring and implementing interventions focusing on the improvement of the well-being of people during the pandemic.

Distance education, also called distance learning, e-learning, and online learning, is a practice... more Distance education, also called distance learning, e-learning, and online learning, is a practice of teaching and learning in which teachers and learners are not in a closed class or room in person, but where education takes place through various new-media technologies and all parties (student-teacher, teacherteacher, student-student) are able to communicate, interact and exchange information and emotions. Being on the agenda of educational science for a long time now and gaining further importance during COVID-19 lockdowns, both advantages (e.g., reducing social anxiety, and a flexible schedule) and disadvantages (lack of social interactivity, and miscommunication) of distance education are highly debated in the related literature. Therefore, this study, through a qualitative method (i.e., a case study design and semi-structured interviews), aims to analyse the opinions and experiences of academics regarding distance education and its applications. The participants consist of 36 lecturers working at 16 different Turkish universities selected by the purposeful sampling method (i.e., typical case sampling). The results suggest that the participants still have doubts about online distance education, and they mention both ups (ease of connection, and cost-effectiveness) and downs (lack of self-motivation, socialization, and the sense of isolation) of it. Nonetheless, none of the academics thinks distance education will replace an in-person learning environment in the near future. Thus, this study presents a general illustration of distance education

Psychological state and predictors of psychiatric morbidity in COVID-19 patients six weeks after discharge, 2023

To be able to detect possible psychological distress and long-term deterioration caused by COVID-... more To be able to detect possible psychological distress and long-term deterioration caused by COVID-19, following the patient, who has recovered, is crucial. Therefore, this study (i); aims to examine the ongoing fear-loss of control, the rate of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder levels following the 6th week after discharge; (ii) to examine the effect of post-traumatic stress disorder on anxiety, and depression and (iii) within the same context to reveal the developmental markers of psychiatric morbidity and the risk group. The study includes 180 patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 diagnosis. Sociodemographic Data Form, the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised were used in the current study. High rates of symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD were reported by the inpatients, as more than one-third scored above the anxiety and depression cutoff scores of borderline abnormal and abnormal. Also, 37.22 % of the participants reported the likely presence of PTSD symptoms. Anxiety and depression were significantly positively related to the symptoms of PTSD. The results suggest that there is psychiatric morbidity in anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder and that especially posttraumatic stress poses a risk for other psychopathologies.

Despite increasing engagement with digital platforms, television, especially within Turkish enter... more Despite increasing engagement with digital platforms, television, especially within Turkish entertainment culture, keeps its principal position. The most debated TV programs are those covering psychological issues. The interpersonal relationships covered by the psychology-related serials on Turkish television are praised by the audience. However, because the behaviors and attitudes of psychologists/psychiatrists seem not to be professional and because the way they hold their therapy sessions is very rare, these serials also are harshly criticized by mental health professionals. This article aims to analyze the representation of mental health professionals in Turkish TV serials, try to answer how psychologists/psychiatrists find their fictionalized images, and if these media contents increased the interest in psychology. The article is based on a descriptive study. The relationship between the increasing number of psychological serials and the interest in psychology is analyzed through the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient. The results suggest that increasing numbers of psychological serials positively correlate with the interest in psychology. The outcomes also suggest that the increasing number of psychological soap operas on Turkish TV channels is related to a high understanding of psychology, that psychology-related scenarios will be handled by directors in more detail, and that both the audience and psychology professionals are aware of the psychological scenes and patterns on the screens. Nonetheless, although mental health professionals are pleased with the interest they receive through TV programs, some found psychology-related TV shows capable enough to represent psychology in the Turkish media to some extent while some others think that the representation of their profession is either inadequate or amateurish.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affects all aspects of the population including children, elder... more Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affects all aspects of the population including children, elderly, and vulnerable people. The aim of this study is to examine, for the first time, the relationship optimism-pessimism levels of mothers and anxiety level of children in turkey during COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects and methods: Optimism-Pessimism Scale and Preschool Anxiety Scale were used to collect data from a representative sample of 33,362 mothers with children aged 3-6 years. Results: Of the parents, 53% of them reported that their children were slightly anxious due to COVID-19 pandemic. Lower optimism and higher pessimism were significantly related with higher levels of children's anxiety including social, generalized, separation, and overall anxiety as well as obvious fear. Group comparison analysis indicated that very anxious children reported the highest level of different types of anxiety and fear compared to less anxious and not at all anxious children. Conclusion: These findings suggest that mental health of children has been adversely affected during the pandemic and this has important implications for designing and implementing interventions aimed at reducing anxiety levels of children and determining protective and risk factors associated with anxiety in the face of adversity.

INTERNATIONAL PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND HUMANITIES RESEARCHES, 2017

Culture and Education, 2022

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected the education system at all levels around the world... more The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected the education system at all levels around the world. Coping with the essentialities of online teaching and learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aims to give insights into the interpretation of online teaching during the lockdown in Turkey. We applied an ‘opinions regarding online education’ survey (n = 1,007) to examine students’ attitudes towards online education. The participants were students having online classes due to COVID-19 lockdown at different universities in Turkey. Results showed that COVID-19 quarantine has influenced the academic performance of most participants to fluctuating degrees. Yet, most participants believed that online classes could not replace actual classes (n = 725; 72.0%), while only 10.1% of them believed online classes could replace face-to-face classes. Besides, students regularly attending the online classes have positive online education attitudes higher than those of the students who sometimes or never attend the lessons. Thus, this study presents a general illustration of ongoing online education activities during the lockdown and subsequently gives recommendations for future digital learning activities.

Electronic Journal of General Medicine, 2022

Intimacy refers to closeness and an expressive and personal romantic relationship between couples... more Intimacy refers to closeness and an expressive and personal romantic relationship between couples/partners. More importantly, intimacy in romantic relationships is known to influence children's well-being and mental health. Couples who suffer from a lack of intimacy in their relationship are more vulnerable to psychophysiological disorders, depression and other non-psychiatric disorders and these disorders may have an impact on the children living with them. Under today's circumstances, little is known about the link of intimacy in romantic relationships with children's anxiety particularly within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between intimacy in romantic and children's anxiety levels during COVID-19 disease. Participants were 12,126 Turkish couples (mean age=35.27±5.37) who completed the intimacy in romantic relationship scale and state-trait anxiety inventory for children online. Socio-demographic data form was created to measures variables such as age, gender, and the COVID-19 experiences. The results suggest that single couples were found to have a better romantic relationship than married couples. Self-disclosure, physical attraction, support, and trust were found to be related to anxiety levels of children. This pattern of results highlights the importance of intimacy in a romantic relationship on children anxiety levels in the face of adversity which have important implications for research and practice.

Baris gazeteciligine bakis acisi ve haber uretimindeki “catisma eksenli” hikâyelestirme, ilgili t... more Baris gazeteciligine bakis acisi ve haber uretimindeki “catisma eksenli” hikâyelestirme, ilgili toplumun politik, sosyolojik ve sosyo-psikolojik yapisiyla yakindan iliskilidir. Althuser’in vurguladigi “devletin ideolojik aygitlari” da (1970) dikkate alindiginda, bu irtibati medyada suc konusunun islenilmesinin devamliligina, egitime, dine, kultur/deger uretimine ve hastane, okul ve diger kurumsal alanlara kadar genisletmek mumkundur. Elinizdeki calisma bu nedenle, ozellikle demokratik olarak kirilgan ve polarizasyonun yogun oldugu bir ortamda teorik olarak daha istikrarli ve pratige yonelik bir baris gazeteciligi modelinin imkânini irdelemektedir. Bunu yaparken, uzlasinin insasi ve catisma cozucu olmasi adina ozellikle kaotik ortamlarda “kaliteli haber uretimi” tanimiyla ortaya cikan “baris gazeteciligi” (peace journalism), daha cok Bati eksenli olan literatursel tartismasina deginerek, gelismekte olan ulkelerdeki muhtemel demokratik sorunlar ve haber uretiminin uzlasi saglamadaki r...

Universities are expected to be the organisations where democracy education is presented at the h... more Universities are expected to be the organisations where democracy education is presented at the highest level (Schrecker, 2010: p. 153). However, the historical and political background of

Louis Althusser defines ideology as a design that undertakes social and political roles and state... more Louis Althusser defines ideology as a design that undertakes social and political roles and states that the main function of ideology is the sustainability in social structure and production relationships. An individual either unconsciously or through her/his socio-political, nationalist and historical backgrounds and because of the adventitiously merging psychological approaches, intentionally is influenced by the ideologies. According to him, the individual during the process of this ideological interaction is influenced by the state apparatus such as education, religion, politics, culture, family, media and art or s/he benefits from them to empower her/his present approaches. In this regard, this study aims to examine Althusser’s ideology approach within the context of ideological state apparatus and tries to find out if the individuals have right to say in an atmosphere where they have been surrounded by ideologies. In other words, this article is a study of understanding the in...

Medya psikolojisi, iletisim calismalarinda yeni yeni yer bulmaya baslamis bir alan gibi durmakta... more Medya psikolojisi, iletisim calismalarinda yeni yeni yer bulmaya baslamis bir alan gibi durmaktadir. Her ne kadar, iletisim psikolojisi ve teorileri baglaminda, 1950’li yillarda televizyonun dogusuyla birlikte tartisilmaya baslansa da Amerikan Psikologlar Dernegi (APA) tarafindan 1987’de spesifik bir calisma konusu olarak degerlendirilmis ve medya psikolojisi bolumu olusturulmustur. Bu baglamda, elinizdeki makale, teorik bir yaklasimla, bir yandan medya psikolojisine dair Turkce yapilmis calismalara katki sunmaya calisirken, diger yandan ozellikle iletisim teorileriyle iliskilendirerek, televizyon ve haber uretiminin medya profesyonelleri ve izleyici acisindan psikolojik motivasyonlarini irdelemeye calismaktadir. Iletisim araclarinin iceriklerinin olusturulma surecindeki etkilesimlerini sosyolojik ve politik uzantilariyla inceleyen makale, izleyicinin yonlendirilmesinde ve reyting olusumunda basvurulan yontemleri de yayin(m)cilik acisindan ele almistir. Makalede degerlendi...

Having a quick look at the literature review, it is possible to state that political communicatio... more Having a quick look at the literature review, it is possible to state that political communication, citizen journalism, and democracy concepts have usually been used in collaboration with each other especially after the long and sometimes complex new media theories take the core place in the debates. While some scholars, within the context of citizen journalism and political relation, highlights the role of social media and other new media courses in democratisation and more active political participation, some other debates that although the new media technologies give political communication campaigns a better, cheaper and more interactive formation, it seems quite difficult to extend this “good formation” to a greater democracy as the complexity of cultural attitudes, sociopolitical structure of a society and historical dynamics do not let new media channels and their active practise by the citizens to have the same influence at any locations. Therefore, this article, based on an...

İNİF E - Dergi, 2021

A fotografia vem sendo amplamente utilizada na pesquisa em Psicologia, em diferentes áreas, para ... more A fotografia vem sendo amplamente utilizada na pesquisa em Psicologia, em diferentes áreas, para investigação das mais diversas questões. Contudo, este recurso ainda é pouco utilizado no Brasil. O objetivo deste trabalho é realizar, com base na literatura científica, um levantamento histórico-metodológico do uso da fotografia na ciência psicológica. Foram identificadas quatro funções principais da fotografia nos diferentes métodos adotados: registro, modelo, feedback e autofotografia. Em cada uma destas funções, são apresentados diversos estudos realizados, destacando suas vantagens e desvantagens. Paralelamente, procurou-se levantar os temas abordados nas variadas áreas da Psicologia, através do recurso fotográfico. Por fim, enfatizouse a descrição do método autofotográfico, no qual são destacadas especificidades e possíveis contribuições obtidas pela sua utilização.

Political Psychology and Polarisation: A Conceptual Approach, 2023

Psychological state and predictors of psychiatric morbidity in COVID-19 patients six weeks after discharge, 2023

INTERNATIONAL PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND HUMANITIES RESEARCHES, 2017

Culture and Education, 2022

Electronic Journal of General Medicine, 2022

İNİF E - Dergi, 2021

Sosyal Psikoloji El Kitabı

Diğer birçok tartışmada olduğu gibi, sosyal medyanın ya da daha geniş manasıyla yeni medyanın kad... more Diğer birçok tartışmada olduğu gibi, sosyal medyanın ya da daha geniş manasıyla yeni medyanın kadın haklarının daha çok gündeme gelmesine, kadınları farklı alanlarda seslerini daha çok duyurmalarına imkân sağladığına dair tartışmalar son zamanlarda sıklıkla gündeme gelmektedir. Ne var ki yeni medya aracığıyla yapılan çağrıların kadınlar konusunda duyarlılığı artırdığına ya da bu nedenle yetkililerin cinsiyet eşitliği konunda güçlü adımlar attığına dair şüpheler giderilmiş görünmemektedir. Gündelik söylemde olduğu gibi, kitle iletişim araçlarında da toplumsal cinsiyetle ilgili ifade biçimleri sorunlu görünse de, yeni medya ve özellikle sosyal medya mecraları kadın topluluklarının egemen söyleme ve toplumsal cinsiyet eşitliğine karşı çıktıkları bir kamusal alan olma özelliği taşımaktadır.
Gerek Türkiye’deki gerekse diğer ülkelerde kadın cinayetleri ve kadına yönelik istismar iddiaları sonrasında ortaya çıkan eylemler ve yeni medyanın bu eylemlerin organize edilmesindeki rolü, bütün şüphelere rağmen sosyal medyanın etkinliğinin dikkate alınması gerektiğini gösteriyor. Bu bağlamda yeni medyanın bütün ötekileştirilenler genelinde ve kadınlar özelinde artan kullanımı, bireyler arasında eşitlik adına, hak ihlallerinin daha yüksek sesle konuşulması adına, farklı kesimlerin medyaya daha rahat ulaşmaları adına ciddi fırsatlar sunmaktadır.
Bu nedenle söz konusu çalışma; kadının ve kadın örgütlerinin kamusal alanda var olma mücadelesini görünür kılmada önemli rolü olan yeni medyanın; kadın haklarına olan ilgiyi artırıp artırmadığını, kadının politik katılım tavrını iyileştirip iyileştirmediğini; medya ve toplumsal söylemde ayrılıkçı dil ve ayrımcılıkla ile mücadele edip edemeyeceğini; kadın organizasyonları ve politika uygulayıcıları arasında köprü kurup kuramadığını ve bütün bunlardan yola çıkarak kadının teknoloji ile ilişkisini düzenleyip düzenlemediğini ulusal ve uluslararası örnekler bağlamında ele alacaktır.

Giriş Edward Said, Entelektüellerin Temsili (1966) isimli kitabında, " iktidara gerçeği konuşmak/... more Giriş Edward Said, Entelektüellerin Temsili (1966) isimli kitabında, " iktidara gerçeği konuşmak/söylemek " ifadesiyle entelektüeller ve devlet yahut oto-rite arasındaki ilişkiye işaret eder. Said'in yaklaşımında gerçek mütefekkir kişi, devletin her davranışını sorgusuz bir biçimde desteklemez ve devletin hatalarını görmezden gelmez. Aksine; âlim, sonu sürgün ya da hapis olsa dahi, kendisine hâkim söylemle mücadele etme kabiliyeti ve aktivizim ka-zandıracak alternatif, ahlaki ve dürüst bir yaklaşım belirler. Said'in ifadesiy-le âlim, " sadece sakinleştirici veya uzlaştırıcı değildir; fakat bütün varlığını eleştirel bir yerde konumlandırmış, kolay formülleri ve hazır kalıpları kabul-lenmeyen ve bunu kamu önünde açıkça dillendirebilecek biridir " (Said, 1996). İslam dini bilginleri ya da ulema, özellikle Sünni çevrede, Said'in tanım-ladığı bu muhalif entelektüel profile çoğunlukla uymaz. Ulemanın bu tasvi-ri, Said'in ideolojik rakipleri olan, mahalli iktidarlara karşı çıkan ve ulemayı hakim siyasi düzeni meşrulaştırarak, siyasi baskı ve ahlaksızlığa karşı çıkma dini olan İslam'ın hakiki çehresini bozan " solgun " bir unsur (ehl-i tebrir) olmakla suçlayan İslamcılar tarafından da kabul edilmiştir. Onlara göre, ideal tebliğci sadece davet eden, ders veren ve yazan değil aynı zamanda toplumsal meselelerle meşgul olan, toplumun hastalıklarıyla mücadele eden ve onların bünyeden atılması için gayret sarf edendir. Âlim, bu bağlamda, hakları ihlal edilmiş ve zayıflar için çalışan merhamet sahibi

This study, mostly through a critical review, aims to give the description of the accountability ... more This study, mostly through a critical review, aims to give the description of the accountability in political communication, how it works and how it helps the addressees of the political campaigns to understand and control the politicians. While doing this it will also examine if accountability can help to structure a democratic public participation and control. Benefitting from mostly theoretical and critical debates regarding political public relations and political communication, this article aims (a) to give insights of the ways political elites use to communicate with the voters (b) how they deal with accountability, (c) to learn their methods of propaganda, (d) and how they structure their personal images. The theoretical background at the end suggests that the politicians, particularly in the Turkish context, may sometimes apply artificial (unnatural) communication methods, exaggeration and desire sensational narrative in the media to keep the charisma of the leader and that the accountability and democratic perspective is something to be ignored if the support is increasing.