• In this TED Talk a psychologist discusses the urge to do wrong and the findings of his “perversity project.”

• Understanding the components of “good enough parenting.” 

• Unpacking the link between introspection and narcissism. 

• Four commentaries on the psychological, emotional, and social challenges faced by the contemporary man. 

Please check out the library of available blog articles and podcast recordings.

• The "Experiencing" and the "Remembering" Self



• "Ghosts from the Past": On Being Triggered and Repeating

The Men's Group Seminar: The Happiness Curve

In The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50, Jonathan Rauch documents the U-shaped curve of contentment across the lifespan following adolescence. As summarized by writer Heidi Wachter, “This includes a period of natural excitement and optimism in young adulthood; a time of consolidation and achievement coupled with a gradual sense of disappointment and declining optimism in the middle years; a recalibration and upturn of life satisfaction in middle age; and happiness in late adulthood.” The curve contextualizes the so-called “mid-life crisis” by observing a gradual decline of happiness from around the age of 18 until the 40s, when the lowest ratings of happiness are reported. This nadir of life satisfaction persists until the early 50s when a sharp rise in contentment occurs, before falling once again at about age 75. 

Although the happiness curve has been found among humans and even other species (including chimpanzees and orangutans), factors such as culture, economic context, and different ways “happiness” is operationalized (e.g., evaluative happiness based on objective goals such as wealth may be quite different from how happy a person actually feels) challenge the universality of the curve. Nevertheless, Rauch observes interesting dynamics of the aging process inherent in the happiness curve, including goals changing across the lifespan and that what seemed to be motivating in early adulthood diminishes over time and is ultimately supplanted. He further emphasizes the aging adult’s shift toward positivity and wisdom.  

In the next in-person meeting of the Men’s Group Seminar on Saturday, April 1, 2023 (10:15 to 11:30 AM), we will explore the happiness curve and its implications. We will consider related concepts including the paradox of the hedonic treadmill; the ways in which life stress and crises are moderated by attitudes emerging in later adulthood; and varying notions of subjective well-being (including “evaluative,” “hedonic” and existential well-being). 

To register for this upcoming in-person seminar, please see the directions below.

The Relationship Group Seminar: Katie Hood on the Distinction between Healthy and Unhealthy Love 

Katie Hood is the CEO of the One Love Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to the prevention of relationship abuse. The guiding view underlying her work is that many of us are relatively uneducated about how to love in healthy and progressive ways. In her TED Talk that has garnered over 10 million views, she describes her perspective of the five markers of unhealthy love: intensity, isolation, extreme jealousy, belittling, and volatility. She suggests that it is not uncommon for these markers to be denied or overlooked as they emerge gradually and remain lodged within patterned dynamics that become habitual and expected. In the next in-person meeting of the Relationship Group Seminar on Saturday, April 1, 2023 (11:45 AM to 1:00 PM), we will focus on Hood’s acclaimed TED Talk. We will also discuss her TED Business interview on unhealthy relationships in the workplace, as well as a “lessons learned” commentary on Hood. Finally, we will consider Hood’s ideas within broader psychological perspectives including codependence and narcissism, attachment theory, and group/systems approaches.   

To register for this upcoming in-person seminar, please see the directions below.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Group: One Opening Remains

A new psychodynamic psychotherapy group (for women and men) has recently formed in my practice. There is one opening left before the group reaches its maximum membership. Referrals are welcomed (please contact me at 949-338-4388 or at jt@jamestobinphd.com). This therapy group utilizes the emerging dynamics among group members as a basis from which to examine characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and relating to others. The group is a therapeutic experience and entry occurs only after a pre-group screening interview and preparation phase.