Mehmet Doğan Cüceloğlu (9 February 1938 – 16 February 2021) was a Turkish academic in

media psychology Media psychology is the branch and specialty field in psychology that focuses on the interaction of human behavior with media and technology. Media psychology is not limited to mass media or media content; it includes all forms of mediated communi ...

and writer of several non-fiction books.

Early years

Mehmet Doğan Cüceloğlu was born as the youngest of eleven children in the Mukaddime neighborhood of

Silifke Silifke ( grc-gre, Σελεύκεια, ''Seleukeia'', la, Seleucia ad Calycadnum) is a town and district in south-central Mersin Province, Turkey, west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of Çukurova. Silifke is near the Mediterranean coast ...

district in

Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...

, southern Turkey on 9 February 1938. Five of his siblings were from his father's first marriage. Cüceloğlu recalled that "As I was schooled, I was surprised to learn from my teacher that I had two given names, and my surname was "Cüceloğlu", and not 'Cüceler' ('Dwarfs') as my friends called me." He felt unnoticed in elementary school. He lost interest in going to school and then fell ill. An injection by an untrained nurse from the neighborhood led to a lifelong handicap of his one leg. At first unable to walk, he was cured by his mother's old-fashioned treatment. The next year, he resumed going to the school with enthusiasm thanks to his new teacher. Cüceloğlu's mother died when he was ten years old. After graduating from middle school in Silifke, he went to school in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

and

Kırklareli Kırklareli () is a city within Kırklareli Province in the East Thrace, European part of Turkey. Name It is not clearly known when the city was founded, nor under what name. The Byzantine Greeks called it Sarànta Ekklisiès (''Σαράντα Ε� ...

so he could live with the family of his older brother, a military officer. He attended high schools in Ankara and Kırklareli, graduating in Kırklareli. Influenced by a nationalist literature teacher during his high school years in Ankara, Cüceloğlu enrolled in

Istanbul University , image = Istanbul_University_logo.svg , image_size = 200px , latin_name = Universitas Istanbulensis , motto = tr, Tarihten Geleceğe Bilim Köprüsü , mottoeng = Science Bridge from Past to the Future , established = 1453 1846 1933 ...

to study psychology. He earned a

Bachelor of Psychology A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...

degree. After graduation, he went to the United States for his doctoral studies. In the first year, he contemplated suicide due to his poor command of English. He improved his English knowledge, and earned his

Doctor of Psychology The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D. or D.Psych.) is a professional doctoral degree intended to prepare graduates for careers that apply scientific knowledge of psychology and deliver empirically based service to individuals, groups and organization ...

degree in the field of

from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

in 1967.

Private life

During his doctoral studies, Cüceloğlu married Emily, a feminist Californian, who was also a doctoral student. They had two daughters, Ayşen and Elif, and a son, Timur. The family moved to Turkey and lived there for more than ten years while Cüceloğlu served as an academic. In 1975, the family moved back to the U.S. The couple divorced after eleven years of marriage. After returning to Turkey, Cüceloğlu married Yıldız Hacıevliyagil (born 1966), who is a writer on human, societal, and personal development.

Career

After receiving his Ph.D., Cüceloğlu returned home to Turkey. He taught psychology at

Hacettepe University Hacettepe University is a leading state university in Ankara, Turkey. It was established on 8 July 1967. It is ranked first among the Turkish universities by URAP in 2021. The university has two main campuses. The first campus is in the old to ...

in Ankara and

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University ( tr, Boğaziçi Üniversitesi), also known as Bosphorus University, is a major research university in Istanbul, Turkey. Its main campus is located on the European side of the Bosphorus, Bosphorus strait. It has six facult ...

in Istanbul. In 1975, Cüceloğlu received a

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

scholarship to conduct scientific research at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

as a visiting professor. After one year, he returned home. Between 1980 and 1996, Cüceloğlu was based in the U.S. again, working at

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

. During this time, he published his first book ''İnsan İnsana'' ("Human To Human"). After returning from the U.S., Cüceloğlu's works were focused on university students, educators, parents, and business people. He continued to write books. In addition, he gave conferences and seminars and made television programmes. He published more than forty scientific articles and wrote numerous books on personal development. Cüceloğlu's inspirational life story was chronicled in his book titled ''İnsanı Ararken'' ("Searching For Human").

Death

Cüceloğlu was found dead in his home on 16 February 2021, seven days after his 83rd birthday. An official investigation revealed the cause of death as an

aortic dissection Aortic dissection (AD) occurs when an injury to the innermost layer of the aorta allows blood to flow between the layers of the aortic wall, forcing the layers apart. In most cases, this is associated with a sudden onset of severe chest or ...

. He had undergone heart surgery two years before. He was interred at

Aşiyan Asri Cemetery The Aşiyan Asri Cemetery ( tr, Aşiyan Asri Mezarlığı) is a burial ground situated on Aşiyan between the Bebek, Istanbul, Bebek and Rumelihisarı neighborhoods of the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. Many renowned intellectuals, writers an ...

following a religious funeral service held at Levent Afet Yolal Mosque.

Bibliography

Some of Cüceloğlu's books include: *''Derviş'in Aklı'' ("Dervish's Mind") (ISBN 9789751417213) *''Prof. Ahmet Dervişoğlu ile Sohbetler'' ("Talks with Prof. Ahmet Dervişoğlu") (ISBN 9789751417213) *''İçimizdeki Çocuk'' ("The Child Inside Us") (ISBN 9789751403643) *''İnsan İnsana'' ("Human to Human") (ISBN 9786257631525) *''Korku Kültürü Niçin 'Mış Gibi' Yaşıyoruz?'' ("Culture of Fear: Why Do We Live 'As It Is'?") (ISBN 9789751412430) *''Bir Kadın Bir Ses / Türkiye'de Bir Kadının Varolma Savaşı'' ("One Woman One Voice / A Woman's War Existence in Turkey") (ISBN 9789751411631) *''Mış Gibi Yaşamlar'' ("Lives As If They Were") (ISBN 9789751410702) *''Başarıya Götüren Aile'' ("The Family That Leads to Success") (ISBN 9789751411075) *''Savaşçı'' ("The Warrior") (ISBN 9789751408259) *''Onlar Benim Kahramanım'' ("They Are My Hero") (ISBN 9789751413642) *''Var Mısın? Güçlü Bir Yaşam İçin Öneriler'' ("Are You In? Suggestions For a Strong Life") (ISBN 9786057635839) *''Öğretmen Olmak'' ("To Be A Teacher") (ISBN 9786053743774) *''İçimizdeki Biz'' ("We Inside Us") (ISBN 9789753220002) *''Geliştiren Anne Baba'' ("Developing Parents") (ISBN 9786257631532) *''İnsan ve Davranışı'' ("Human Behavior") (ISBN 9789751418692) *''İletişim Donanımları'' ("Media Gear") (ISBN 9789751408860) *''Mış Gibi' Yetişkinler Yetişkin Çocuklar'' ("People As If They Were Adults, Grown Up Children") (ISBN 9789751416391) *''Doğan Cüceloğlu / Damdan Düşen Psikolog'' ("Doğan Cüceloğlu / The Psychologist, Who Fell From Rooftop") (ISBN 9789751416803) *''Gerçek Özgürlük'' ("True Freedom") (ISBN 9789751416483) *''İnsan İnsana Sohbetler'' ("Talks From Person To Person") (ISBN 9786053741978) *''İyi Düşün Doğru Karar Ver'' ("Think Well, Make Right Decisions") (ISBN 9789757397106) *''İnsanı Ararken Damdan Düşen Psikolog'' ("The Psychologist, Who Fell From Rooftop As He Was Searching For Human") *''Yetişkin Çocuklar'' ("Grown Up Children") (ISBN 9789751416391) *''Öğretmenim Bir Bakar Mısın? '' ("Teacher! Will You Take a Look?") (ISBN 9786053748830) *''Evlenmeden Önce'' ("Before Marriage") (ISBN 9786257631600)

References

External links

Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuceloglu, Dogan 1938 births People from Silifke Istanbul University alumni University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni Turkish psychologists Turkish expatriates in the United States Expatriate academics in the United States University of California, Berkeley faculty California State University, Fullerton faculty Academic staff of Boğaziçi University Academic staff of Hacettepe University Turkish non-fiction writers 2021 deaths Burials at Aşiyan Asri Cemetery