Keyword: intimacy

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Why Men Marry Their Mothers Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Ben Starr, Linda Vanella, Ori Amini Morrison
Category: Family & Parenting, Love & Romantic Relationships

Trauma-induced intimacy disorder shapes who we choose to love. Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, and Ora Yemini-Morrison, LCSW, join Armand to unpack why men unconsciously replicate the mother bond in romantic partnerships, why women do the same with fathers, and how early boundary failures drive fear of commitment, enmeshment, and the mama’s boy pattern across cultures.

How Men and Women Communicate Differently Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella
Category: Communication & Conflict, Love & Romantic Relationships

Men talk to establish status; women talk to build closeness. Armand DiMele and Linda Vanella, LCSW-R, unpack why these opposing drives produce so much friction in couples, from the male instinct to solve problems to the female need for consensus, with callers weighing in on real relationship struggles.

The Many Shapes of a Relationship Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Giullian Gioiello, Ora Yemini Morrison
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Romantic partnerships rarely fit a single mold. Armand DiMele and co-hosts Ora Yemini-Morrison, LCSW and Giullian Gioiello map over a dozen relationship styles, from fantasy and lies to dominance, competition, and enabling, arguing that most couples fall into rigid patterns and that recognizing yours is the first step toward something better.

How Relationships Reshape the Brain Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Linda Vanella, Lisa Arnone
Category: Love & Romantic Relationships, The Mind & Neuroscience

Relationships literally rewire us, and Armand DiMele unpacks why with co-hosts Linda Vanella, LCSW-R and Lisa Arnone, LCSW. Drawing on Norman Doidge’s neuroplasticity research and a Diane Ackerman essay on the brain in love, the conversation covers pheromones, mate selection, physical intimacy, and how what we attend to defines who we become.

Consistency in Parenting and Love Undated

Host: Armand DiMele
Category: Family & Parenting, Love & Romantic Relationships

Research showing that withholding love produces more resentment in children than direct punishment opens a wide conversation about how parental inconsistency shapes romantic life. Armand DiMele takes calls from listeners wrestling with cold mothers, oversharing on dates, and the surprising urge to sabotage genuine love once you finally find it.

Finding Someone Strong Enough to Hold You Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Barbara Jessen, Carolee, Dr. Scott Baum, Keith, Leora, Sippy
Category: Emotions & Inner Life, Family & Parenting

Why do so many people seek partners or authority figures who can overpower their worst impulses? Armand DiMele builds on earlier research by Scott Baum about fathers and invisible male roles to explore how unresolved inner rage drives partner choice, avoidance of intimacy, and the surprising relief some people find in external discipline.

Competitive Cooperative and Dominant Submissive Love with Dr. Peter Hogan Undated

Host: Armand DiMeleGuests: Dr. Peter Hogan
Category: Identity & The Self, Love & Romantic Relationships

Which relationship style actually lasts? Armand DiMele draws on research by Dr. Peter Hogan using a train game experiment to map three relationship modes: competitive, cooperative, and dominant-submissive. The counterintuitive finding is that clearly defined dominant-submissive pairs outlast the rest.