What Teens Are Trying to Tell Us: The Crisis of Connection and Masculinity

What Teens Are Trying to Tell Us: The Crisis of Connection and Masculinity

From Parenting Teens Untangled - Realistic, science-backed teen & tween parenting advice by Rachel Richards

June 3, 2026 · 58 min · Season 5 · Episode 194

About this episode

The episode explores the struggles of teens, particularly boys, regarding masculinity, friendship, and mental health through the insights of Professor Niobe Way.

Ask Rachel anything What are we really telling boys about how to be a man? And why do so many teens seem to be struggling with how to be in the world, from masculinity to friendship, and mental health? In this conversation with Professor Niobe Way (NYU developmental psychologist, author of Deep Secrets and Rebels with a Cause), we dug into 40 years of research with adolescents. Her work is extraordinary because she has done something deceptively simple and radically powerful: She listened to ...

People in this episode

Host: Rachel Richards

Guest: Niobe Way

Topics covered

  • masculinity
  • teen mental health
  • friendship
  • adolescent research
  • parenting advice

Keywords

  • teen struggles
  • masculinity
  • mental health
  • friendship
  • adolescent research

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NYU

Books & works: Deep Secrets, Rebels with a Cause

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