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.
Unconscious Relational Templates in the Film 9/1 Weeks
Listen to the entire article: In the 1986 film "9 ½ Weeks" directed by Adrian Lyne, Mickey Rourke...
Fatal Attraction: Unconscious Recruitment and Enactment
Listen to the entire article: It is a rather inconvenient truth that what seems to get a romantic...
The Shared Psychological Origin of Narcissistic and Codependent Relational Styles
Listen to the entire article: In adult romantic love, there is an unconscious precedent to utilize...
The “Maternalizing Dynamic” in Romantic Relationships
Listen to the entire article: I often work with women in my practice who characterize a very distinct...
“Attachment Love” vs. “Erotic Love”
Listen to the entire article: In my work with patients who struggle in their romantic relationships,...
Identity in Motion: What Tectonic Plates Can Teach Us about the Human Condition
A Session with Laura It is an early Friday morning. Not yet the end of winter, the marine layer hovers above the Pacific Ocean, concealing the sun. Though I am wearing a light sweater, I find myself still a bit chilled as I listen to Laura*, a psychotherapy...
The Programming of Our Relational Lives
Why do we do what we do in our relationships, often to our own detriment, even when we know what we're doing is self-sabotaging? The answer is that we are literally "programmed" to act in ways that are, in essence, automatic -- and we can't help ourselves....
The Loss of Sexual Passion in Couples
The maternal instinct is so strong that it is inevitable that a woman will treat her male lover from this instinct. For most women, this is not really a problem at all and, in fact, even bolsters their sense of intimacy and connection with their partners. In fact,...
What Is “Interdependence?”
At their core, most romantic relationship problems involve conflictual dynamics having to do with the fear of fusion (i.e., anxiety concerning becoming “one”/fearing dependency and union) vs. the fear of independence (i.e., anxiety that involving remaining separate...