EPISODE · Jun 10, 2026 · 34 MIN
The Initiation Gap: How We Fail to Support Men And What the Research Says It Costs Us
from Fault Lines · host Richard Roman
Taking the pioneering work of Dan Doty as his cue, Richard Roman, PhD, examines the collapse of initiation structures in American culture through peer-reviewed research: normative male alexithymia (Levant), gender role conflict and suicide risk (JAMA Psychiatry 2020), rites of passage program outcomes, and the RAND male mentorship deficit data. What does the science say about what boys and men actually need, and what is the evidence base for getting it right? Keywords: masculinity research, male initiation, rites of passage, normative male alexithymia, male loneliness, boys' mental health, gender role conflict, leadership, trust, CHRO, men's work, wilderness therapy Further Reading: Coleman, D., Feigelman, W., & Rosen, Z. (2020). Association of high traditional masculinity and risk of suicide death: Secondary analysis of the Add Health study. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(4), 435–437. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.4702 Levant, R. F. (1992). Toward the reconstruction of masculinity. Journal of Family Psychology, 5(3–4), 379–402. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.5.3-4.379 Levant, R. F., Good, G. E., Cook, S. W., O'Neil, J. M., Smalley, K. B., Owen, K., & Richmond, K. (2006). The Normative Male Alexithymia Scale: Measurement of a gender-linked syndrome. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 7(4), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.1037/1524-9220.7.4.212 Pollack, W. S. (2004). Male adolescent rites of passage: Positive visions of multiple developmental pathways. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1036(1), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1330.008 Bozick, R., & Wenger, J. W. (2025). The limited presence of male mentors in the lives of boys and young men (Report No. RR-A4451-1). RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4451-1.html
What this episode covers
Taking the pioneering work of Dan Doty as his cue, Richard Roman, PhD, examines the collapse of initiation structures in American culture through peer-reviewed research: normative male alexithymia (Levant), gender role conflict and suicide risk (JAMA Psychiatry 2020), rites of passage program outcomes, and the RAND male mentorship deficit data. What does the science say about what boys and men actually need, and what is the evidence base for getting it right? Keywords: masculinity research, male initiation, rites of passage, normative male alexithymia, male loneliness, boys' mental health, gender role conflict, leadership, trust, CHRO, men's work, wilderness therapy Further Reading: Coleman, D., Feigelman, W., & Rosen, Z. (2020). Association of high traditional masculinity and risk of suicide death: Secondary analysis of the Add Health study. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(4), 435–437. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.4702 Levant, R. F. (1992). Toward the reconstruction of masculinity. Journal of Family Psychology, 5(3–4), 379–402. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.5.3-4.379 Levant, R. F., Good, G. E., Cook, S. W., O'Neil, J. M., Smalley, K. B., Owen, K., & Richmond, K. (2006). The Normative Male Alexithymia Scale: Measurement of a gender-linked syndrome. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 7(4), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.1037/1524-9220.7.4.212 Pollack, W. S. (2004). Male adolescent rites of passage: Positive visions of multiple developmental pathways. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1036(1), 141–150. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1330.008 Bozick, R., & Wenger, J. W. (2025). The limited presence of male mentors in the lives of boys and young men (Report No. RR-A4451-1). RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4451-1.html
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The Initiation Gap: How We Fail to Support Men And What the Research Says It Costs Us
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