James Garbarino, Ph.D.

James Garbarino, Ph.D.
James Garbarino is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and at Loyola University Chicago. From 2006-2020, he held the Maude C. Clarke Chair in Humanistic Psychology and was founding Director of the Center for the Human Rights of Children at Loyola University Chicago. From 1995-2006, he was Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor of Human Development and Co-Director of the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Garbarino has served as consultant or advisor to a wide range of organizations, including the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, the National Institute for Mental Health, the American Medical Association, the National Black Child Development Institute, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, and the FBI. Among the books he has authored or edited are: Listening to Killers: Lessons Learned from My 20 Years as a Psychological Expert Witness in Murder Cases (2015), Miller’s Children: Why Giving Teenage Killers a Second Chance Matters for All of Us (2018), Children and the Dark Side of Human Experience (2008), See Jane Hit: Why Girls Are Growing More Violent and What We Can Do About It (2006). And Words Can Hurt Forever: How to Protect Adolescents from Bullying, Harassment, and Emotional Violence (2002); Parents Under Siege: Why You Are the Solution, Not the Problem, in Your Child’s Life (2001); Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them (1999. Dr. Garbarino has won many awards from his work in the fields of trauma and abuse. He serves as a consultant for media reports on children and families. Since 1994, he has served as a scientific expert witness in criminal cases involving issues of violence and children.

Blogs by James Garbarino, Ph.D.

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Talks About how his Personal Life has Influenced his Professional Choices

Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino on how his personal experiences from childhood helped him realize where to grow professionally. Dr. James Garbarino: As an undergraduate I was a major in History and Political Philosophy, actually started in graduate school in the political philosophy program at Cornell…. Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Talks About the Advantages of Predictability, Regardless of the Situation

Watch an exerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about how predicting behavior in others is advantageous – and how irrational behavior can be hard to respond to. Dr. James Garbarino: I think whether it’s children or dogs, predictability generally is an asset in people’s relationships.  That people can… Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Talks About the Secret Life of Teenagers and the Lack of Parental Awareness

Watch an exerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about a study that reveals how secretive some teenagers can be about themselves. Dr. James Garbarino: In that Secret Life of Teenagers study, we did find that with males also, there were things that parents didn’t know about.  But, in… Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Talks About Gender Stereotyping, Aggression and Cyber Bullying

Watch an exerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino on traditional gender stereotypes. Dr. James Garbarino: Some of this is sort of very traditional gender stereotyping sort of stuff.  For example, an awful lot of male self-esteem is built on what you might call almost objective behavior.  You may think… Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Talks About the Impact of the Secrecy that is Common Among Adolescent Girls in our Society

Watch an exerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about a common communication gap between adolescent girls and their parents. Dr. James Garbarino: I think one of the common themes in the lives of girls who get hurt by peers is this code of silence.  You know, there’s a… Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Discusses Various Causes of Aggression in Boys and Girls

Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino discusses the correlation in violence between the sexes. I published a book, Lost Boys, in 1999.  The subtitle is,  “Why our Sons are Growing More Violent – What we can do about it.”  And almost immediately, people kept saying, “Well, what… Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Talks about Resilience, Hardiness, and Compassion Toward the Human Experience

Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about how hardiness impacts an individual’s resilience. Well, I think, as I see it, there is resilience, which is a sort of description of a situation that a person has faced adversity and has been able to recover from it. … Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino Discusses Promoting Resilience in Boys

Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about promoting resilience in boys based on their individual characteristics and temperament, and counter-socialization. Dr. James Garbarino: I think if a parent was setting out to instill resilience in a boy, they could think about some of this research on… Read more »

Learn More

VIDEO: Dr. James Garbarino talks about the Parental Influence on a Child’s Sense of Self

Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about encouraging children to enjoy life through their own accomplishments. Dr. James Garbarino: I think it’s important that parents have a sense that who they are will have some impact on who the children think the children are and what… Read more »

Learn More