The first group we encounter, our family of origin, introduced us to a formative set of conditions within which we learned how to navigate and persevere. This unique family culture taught us how to negotiate a range of power and influence dynamics, setting the stage for our functioning in groups across development and our interpersonal patterns with peers, subordinates, and authority figures. As adults, the work environments we choose and the career trajectory we travel invariably reflect our childhoods, both in terms of what we successfully overcame and what may remain unresolved. There is now a significant body of research as well as evidence from the coaching and corporate consulting industries indicating the unconscious motivation to find in our professional lives a new family that resembles our original family. According to numerous theoretical perspectives, what we are seeking is a repetition (or replication) of early life circumstances that are familiar and potentially resolvable, once and for all. And, eerily, various interpersonal processes including transference and projective identification make this replication possible. In the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, March 20, 2021 (10:15 AM to 11:30 AM), we will explore how the past comes alive in the present, with the workplace serving as center stage for the emergence of old narratives and the potential for new ones.

*Registration Directions: If you would like to attend the next virtual meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, March 20, 2021, 10:15 to 11:30 AM, please RSVP to me at 949-338-4388 or jt@jamestobinphd.com no later than Thursday, March 18, 2021.  The fee is $25.00 (payable before entering the virtual meeting) and informed consent for participation in this telehealth event must be completed prior to the seminar. Please note that the Men’s Group Seminar is psychoeducational in nature, not therapeutic, and does not constitute psychotherapy or counseling.