Young Scholar: Death Awareness and Meaning in Life

Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London is pleased to announce the 38th session of its Young Scholar Seminar Series, titled “Death Awareness and Meaning in Life: Generational and Developmental Insights.” The event will feature two speakers from Sivas Cumhuriyet University: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sema Yılmaz, Head of the Department of Psychology of Religion, and Berra Ergül Sezen, a PhD student and research assistant in the same field, currently undertaking an internship at the Yunus Emre Institute – London.

In her presentation, “From Childhood to Old Age: Shifting Experiences of Death, Faith, and Meaning,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sema Yılmaz will explore how individuals across different stages of life encounter and interpret death. Drawing on existential psychology, developmental theory, and the psychology of religion, her talk will examine how death awareness and spiritual meaning evolve from early childhood through adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Her research highlights the central role of faith, secure attachment, and intergenerational wisdom in navigating mortality and building a sense of existential hope.

Berra Ergül Sezen’s talk, titled “The Echo of Death: The Intergenerational Transmission of Grief,” will focus on how grief reverberates across generations within the family system. Through the lens of Bowen’s Family Systems Theory, she will investigate how emotional cutoffs, patterns of differentiation, and inherited sorrow shape the individual and collective experience of loss. Her analysis brings attention to the psychological impact of death not only as a personal experience but as a legacy that affects the emotional fabric of families over time.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sema Yılmaz completed her undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Theology, Selçuk University, and received her postgraduate degrees in the fields of Sociology of Religion and Psychology of Religion. She currently serves as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Theology, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, where she teaches at both undergraduate and graduate levels and chairs the Department of Psychology of Religion. In 2019, she conducted post-doctoral research at Boston University’s School of Theology and the Center for Mind and Culture (CMAC), supported by a TÜBİTAK fellowship. Her interdisciplinary work focuses on existential psychology, religious development, death anxiety, and spiritual care. She also serves as the Director of the Psychological Counseling and Research Center at Cumhuriyet University and holds positions on international academic boards, including the International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR) and the Global Platform for the Protection of Children and Families (DünyaÇAKOP). Dr. Yılmaz has published extensively in both Turkish and English, including books, articles, and conference proceedings, and has given academic lectures in countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Morocco, Pakistan, and the United States. Her work integrates psychology, theology, and spirituality, particularly focusing on meaning-making and psychological well-being.

Berra Ergül Sezen is currently a PhD student and a research assistant in the Psychology of Religion at Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Turkey. She completed her BA in Theology at Bursa Uludag University and later obtained her MA in Psychology of Religion from the same institution. Her main research interests lie in personality and religious development, family therapy and the integration of religion into psychology. She is currently undertaking an internship at the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London.

This talk forms part of the Young Scholar Seminar Series organised by Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London.

For more information on the event, please visit Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London’s Website: https://yeelondon.org.uk/ or email us at londra@yee.org.tr

IMPORTANT NOTES

Please note that this event is first come first served and may be overbooked. To avoid disappointment, please arrive early and secure your seat. If you have registered but are unable to attend, please cancel your ticket to allow others to join. Thank you for your cooperation.

Please be advised that filming and/or photography will be taking place at the event for the purposes of archiving, marketing, and all other publications. By entering this event, you consent to the Yunus Emre Institute taking photographs and videos and using them.