381. Reimagining Boyhood with Ruth Whippman

Psychologists Off the Clock

We have an insightful discussion with Ruth Whippman this week, who urges us to rethink masculinity and nurture boys in a way that honors their mental health and emotional depth. A mother of three and the insightful author of Boy Mom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity, Ruth brings a personal and societal viewpoint to the intense pressures that often shape modern masculinity.

She sheds light on the cultural forces that define "being a man" and shares her journey in challenging these norms.

We also learn about Ruth’s experiences as a mother, how society's expectations affect boys from an early age, and the importance of fostering boys' emotional development and accepting their complete human complexity.

We hope you join us for this compassionate and in-depth conversation and broaden your understanding of how we can change how we see and raise boys today.

Listen and Learn:

• The impossible expectations facing boys and men today—how do they find their way forward?
• How Ruth, a mother of three boys navigated feminism, fear, and future masculinity in a conflicted cultural moment
• Are we burdening boys with blame from the past?
• The science behind why boys need more nurture early on but often receive less and how it creates an emotional gap with lasting effects
• How early affection shapes moral growth and how gender impacts this
• Are boys being deprived of friendship lessons that promote emotional depth and connection because of the way they are portrayed in the media?
• Precarious masculinity: how shifting ideals are creating a public health crisis for boys and men
• Hyperconnection and disconnection and how masculinity ties into mental health risks for boys
• The dark online world of 'incels,' where toxic masculinity and vulnerability collide in horrific ways
• The need to rethink how we approach boys' emotional growth beyond "masculinity" norms

Resources:

• Boymom, Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity
• Website: https://www.ruthwhippman.com/
• Substack: https://substack.com/@ruthwhippman

Social Media:

• https://www.instagram.com/ruthwhippman/
• https://twitter.com/ruthwhippman
• https://www.facebook.com/RuthWhippman/

About:

Ruth Whippman is an author, journalist and cultural critic and the mother of three boys. A former BBC documentary director, she has written for the New York Times, Time magazine, The Guardian, HuffPost, and other publications. She is the author of the book America the Anxious, which was a New York Post Best Book of the Year and a New York Times Editors’ Choice and Paperback Row pick. Her latest book is Boymom, Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity.

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• 360. The Laws of Connection with David Robson
• 331. Seeing Others: The Importance of Being Recognized and Valued with Michele Lamont
• 325. Unseen, Unheard, Undervalued with Janina Scarlet
• 304. The Emotional Lives of Teenagers with Lisa Damour

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