In this episode of the Men’s Therapy Podcast, host Marc Azoulay sits down with Dr. Scott Conkright. He is a clinical psychologist and the founder of Affect Relational Therapy. Scott is also the host of the Meaningful Happiness Podcast and is known for his pioneering work on chronic shame syndrome and relational therapy. Dr. Conkright is presenting a bold new framework that he calls Late Adolescence. It is a psychological stage that helps men reimagine life after midlife.
“I decided I’m going to redefine old age,” Dr. Conkright says. He reflects on a moment of deep personal pain triggered by sciatic nerve pain and seasonal depression. Lying in bed during a freezing D.C. evening, he begins to confront the story he’s internalized about what it means to age. “There’s a narrative that things just start falling apart. But I thought—this is not my life.”
His revelation becomes the foundation for a developmental theory he calls Late Adolescence. It challenges the cultural myth that a midlife crisis marks the beginning of decline. Instead, he views it as an opportunity for emotional growth, reinvention, and the reclaiming of agency over one’s life narrative.
Late Adolescence, as Dr. Conkright defines it, is “the moment when you begin questioning the story you’ve been living.” He explains that during early life, we’re often handed a script by family, culture, and society. It is about what success and identity should look like. For many, the midlife crisis is the first time that the script begins to falter. “When you say, ‘I’ve lived my life this way, and it’s not working anymore,’ that’s the beginning of Late Adolescence,” he says.
Crucially, this transition isn’t bound by age. Whether it begins at 25 or 65, what matters is a person’s willingness to reflect and rewrite their narrative. This process, Dr. Conkright argues, is best supported in community: “You need other people to help you find a new story.”
A key element in Dr. Conkright’s model is chronic shame syndrome, a concept rooted in affect theory. “Shame,” he explains, “is the biological response to any hindrance to positive affect, any block to joy, connection, or interest.”
When shame becomes habitual, it can fuel the most destructive parts of a midlife crisis. Such as addiction, depression, and social isolation. “We’ve weaponized shame in our culture,” he warns. “Instead of using it as a signal for growth, we treat it like a flaw to hide.”
According to Dr. Conkright, many men deal with shame by redirecting it outward. “The number one defense against shame is anger, especially in men,” he says. Anger management becomes crucial for addressing the deeper emotional wounds.
Dr. Conkright emphasizes the importance of relational therapy as a tool for navigating Late Adolescence. In his men’s therapy groups, he sees firsthand how open dialogue and shared vulnerability help men move from collapse to reinvention.
He recounts a powerful story of a group member who hit rock bottom: losing his career and contemplating suicide. “That was when he decided to enter recovery,” Conkright recalls. “It was the first time he said, ‘I need a new story.’”
Therapy provides a space where men can face their shame without judgment. They can start building new frameworks of identity, purpose, and connection. “Once shame is shared, it dissipates,” he says. “Then there’s room for action.”
Rather than treating aging as a slow decline, Dr. Conkright invites men to redefine aging as a chance for transformation. He advocates for the return of elderhood as a celebrated life phase.
“In Greece, I saw four generations eating together at tavernas,” he says. “Everyone had a role. No one was isolated.” In contrast, he observes that American society often responds to aging with marginalization. They place older men into retirement homes and stripping them of social roles.
“We need rituals that honour the transition into elderhood,” he insists. “It shouldn’t be about retreating. It should be about stepping into mentorship and wisdom.”
Dr. Conkright offers simple but powerful practices for men navigating midlife. Daily journaling, walking without distractions, and joining a men’s therapy group. “What made you happy today? What did you write, build, or contribute?” he suggests as nightly prompts. “Even a brief, positive interaction can be a success.”
Ultimately, the journey through a midlife crisis doesn’t have to end in collapse. With the right tools, men can enter Late Adolescence with clarity, courage, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Dr. Scott Conkright offers a compelling reframe of the midlife crisis, not as a breakdown but as a breakthrough. By introducing the concept of late adolescence, he invites men to view this life stage as a chance to reclaim their agency. He focuses on rewriting their narrative and engaging in meaningful emotional growth.
Through relational therapy, community support, and a willingness to face uncomfortable truths like shame and addiction, men can emerge from this transitional period stronger, more self-aware, and better equipped to lead fulfilling lives. As Dr. Conkright reminds us, “You can’t continue the story after death, but up until that point, you get to keep writing it.”
The real crisis isn’t aging, it’s isolation, disconnection, and the belief that it’s too late to change. But with tools like group therapy, introspection, and community, men can transform the midlife crisis into a rite of passage toward deeper meaning and resilience.
Dr. Scott Conkright is a licensed psychologist with over 30 years of clinical experience. He is the founder of Affect Relational Therapy and host of the Meaningful Happiness Podcast, where he explores the psychological underpinnings of joy, identity, and connection. His work is deeply influenced by affect theory and narrative psychology.
Currently based in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., Dr. Conkright runs therapy groups focused on shame resilience, emotional growth, and aging with agency. His innovative concept of Late Adolescence is reshaping how men think about midlife—not as an ending, but a pivotal beginning.
Affect Relational Therapy – Therapeutic model developed by Dr. Conkright
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