New Faculty Profiles
I try to help students understand the process—not just the content—of psychological science and clinical practice.
Robert F. Bornstein
Professor, Derner Institute
Please give us a brief overview of your background, area of expertise, research and teaching.
I grew up in Manhattan, graduated from Amherst College in 1981, and received my PhD in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1986. For the past 20 years I taught at Gettysburg College, moving to Adelphi this past summer. I’ve taught a variety of courses over the years including General Psychology, Personality, Abnormal Psychology, and seminars on various topics. My research focuses primarily on personality dynamics, assessment, and treatment, with an emphasis on interpersonal dependency and dependent personality disorder.
At this time my research is developing along two fronts. First, I’m examining the healthy, adaptive features of interpersonal dependency in a variety of populations (for example, increased sensitivity to subtle interpersonal cues, conscientious adherence to medical and psychotherapeutic regimens). These healthy dependency results dovetail with my other major dependency-related research stream—a series of studies that explore the conditions under which dependent people exhibit active, assertive behavior (rather than passive, compliant behavior) in clinical, laboratory, and field settings.
What made you choose to come to Adelphi?
The Derner Institute is one of the very few psychodynamically oriented clinical psychology doctoral programs in America, and I believe strongly in the value of psychoanalytic theory in informing psychological assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. I’m convinced that because of its unique theoretical perspective and unusually strong faculty, the Derner Institute can have a major impact on the discipline of clinical psychology during the coming years. I’d like to help make that happen.
What has been your experience so far?
I’ve been very impressed with the students—both undergraduate and graduate. They are a pleasure to teach and supervise, and remind me every day that being a professor is the best job one can have.
What do you wish to contribute, what do you feel strongly about in regards to teaching or in your specialization.
Within and outside the classroom my teaching is shaped by a single goal: I try to help students understand the process—not just the content—of psychological science and clinical practice. More broadly I hope to help my students become engaged in the process of intellectual inquiry and develop into inquisitive, lifelong learners. If this happens I’ll have done my job.
What do you wish to impart to your students?
Choose a career you love, not one that will make you rich.
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