Dr. James Tobin Ph.D. - Psychologist
Articles
WELCOME TO DR. TOBIN’S ARTICLES
Dr. Tobin regularly publishes blog articles and posts information and writings by other authors on various issues including child development and adolescence, parenting, romantic love, men and masculinity, the psychotherapy process, the training and supervision of psychologists, sexual compulsivity and addiction, and organizational culture and change. If there is a topic you would like Dr. Tobin to feature, please email him directly at jt@jamestobinphd.com.
The Culturally Sanctioned Manic Defense
The Culturally Sanctioned Manic Defense True psychological growth requires confronting rather than evading difficult emotions, relational disappointments, and the limitations of ourselves and others. The psychotherapeutic process often centers on building the...
Overcoming Infidelity: Rebuilding Trust and the Healing Stages of Couples Therapy
Overcoming Infidelity: Rebuilding Trust and the Healing Stages of Couples Therapy In the aftermath of infidelity, couples therapy provides a structured approach to recovery by supporting both partners through a series of stages that stabilizes the crisis, explores the...
Psychotherapy Changes Neurobiological Patterns of Relatedness: The “Still Face” Experiment and the Boston Change Process Study Group
Psychotherapy Changes Neurobiological Patterns of Relatedness: The “Still Face” Experiment and the Boston Change Process Study Group A group of clinicians and researchers, utilizing fundamental principles of bonding between the infant and caregiver, have identified...
The “Unthought Known”: Christopher Bollas’ Revolutionary Psychoanalytic Concept and Its Contribution to Psychotherapy
The “Unthought Known”: Christopher Bollas’ Revolutionary Psychoanalytic Concept and Its Contribution to Psychotherapy Bollas’ work emphasizes the non-verbal and implicit dimensions of the psyche, a focus that has prompted new techniques for accessing and interpreting...
Appearance, Shame, and Identity: The Work of Benjamin Kilborne and Its Implications for Psychotherapy
Appearance, Shame, and Identity: The Work of Benjamin Kilborne and Its Implications for Psychotherapy Psychoanalyst Benjamin Kilborne (see his book Disappearing Persons: Shame and Appearance) proposes a new conceptualization of shame: he sees shame not merely as an...
The Psychology of Self-Sabotage: How Psychotherapy Fosters Positive Change
The Psychology of Self-Sabotage: How Psychotherapy Fosters Positive Change James Tobin, Ph.D. Self-sabotage is a relatively common phenomenon appearing across many domains of life (professional/work, relationships, self-care, etc.) and a common reason why people seek...
Beginning Psychotherapy: The First Session
Beginning Psychotherapy: The First Session The initial psychotherapy session is a complex social interaction unlike any other. The client may understandably experience a range of emotions, expectations, and fears, while the clinician seeks to establish a sense of...
Addressing Problems of Guilt in Psychotherapy: Insights from Donald Carveth’s Psychoanalytic Perspective
Addressing Problems of Guilt in Psychotherapy: Insights from Donald Carveth’s Psychoanalytic Perspective James Tobin, Ph.D. Initially trained as a sociologist, the Canadian psychoanalyst Donald Carveth provides an intriguing perspective on guilt and its role in the...
Why We Pursue the Familiar: Insights from Psychology and Psychoanalysis
Why We Pursue the Familiar: Insights from Psychology and Psychoanalysis James Tobin, Ph.D. Being drawn to the familiar is a human tendency determined by an array of psychological, neurobiological, and evolutionary factors. Although there are advantages to gravitating...