Adolescence: How to Build an Adult (From the Archive)

 Hey listeners, we'll be back in two weeks with a special episode looking at the multiple challenges facing men in America today. But while you wait, we wanted to share an episode from Season 2 of our show that feels especially relevant to that conversation. Think of it as a prequel or primer, because part of the problem, and possibly part of the solution, may have to do with how boys become men in the first place. We hope you enjoy!

When you’re a teenager, you’re kind of between two worlds. You’re leaving the comforts and carefree days of childhood behind and stepping into the challenges and responsibilities adulthood brings. But when exactly should you make that change? And, more importantly, how can rites of passage help? 

Join Dave as he talks with psychologist Leah Somerville and religion scholar Connor Wood to explore the adolescent mind and how rituals can help it learn to “adult.” 

For more on Leah Somerville’s work, click here. 

To read some of Connor Wood’s writing, visit Science on Religion.