Lost Boys - Why So Many Young Men Are at War With Their Bodies : Episode 23

🎧 Episode 23: Lost Boys - Why So Many Young Men Are at War With Their BodiesWhy are so many young men struggling to feel at home in themselves? Why are increasing numbers turning to the gym, self-optimisation, or the online world in search of confidence, identity, and belonging?In this episode of Mind the Body, I explore the growing crisis in male body image through the lens of psychoanalysis, attachment theory, and developmental psychology. Drawing on the work of Alessandra Lemma, Donald Winnicott, Angela Connolly, Jean Knox, and Peter Fonagy, I examine why so many young men become disconnected from their bodies, and why shame so often finds expression through appearance.Ultimately, this episode explores why so many young men feel lost, how the search for identity becomes expressed through the body, and what it takes to truly feel at home in yourself.In This Episode:The psychology of the "Lost Boy" and why so many young men feel left behindHow shame, body image, and identity become deeply intertwinedAngela Connolly's concept of the false body-self and what it reveals about male body imageHow social media and online masculinity shape embodiment and belongingWhat helps young men feel at home in themselvesA Question to Sit With:When you're trying to change your body, what are you hoping your body will change for you?References:  Connolly, A. M. (2013). Out of the body: Embodiment and its vicissitudes. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 58(5), 636–656.Fonagy, P., Gergely, G., Jurist, E., & Target, M. (2002). Affect regulation, mentalization and the development of the self. New York: Other Press.Knox, J. (2011). Self-agency in psychotherapy: Attachment, autonomy and intimacy. New York & London: W. W. Norton.Lane-Godfrey, G. (2026, June). Homeward Bound. Men's Health.Lemma, A. (2010). An order of pure decision: Growing up in a virtual world and the adolescent's experience of being-in-a-body. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 58(4), 691–714.Movember Institute. (2025). Young Men, Masculinity Influencers and Mental Health.Office for National Statistics. (2025). Families and households in the UK: 2025.Winnicott, D. W. (1958). Collected papers: Through paediatrics to psychoanalysis. London: Tavistock Publications.Take a breath, stay curious, and explore what it truly means to Mind The Body.Join the CommunitySubscribe or follow the show so you never miss an episode.Share this episode with a friend who’s exploring body image healing, the mind–body connection, emotional healing, and the patterns that shape how we see ourselves.Connect or learn more: www.yvettevuaran.com Sign up for my Mind The Body NewsletterFollow @mindthebodypodcast @yvettevuaran