ManTalks Podcast The Worst Ages for Kids to Experience Divorce, with Erica Komisar
29 snips
Jun 22, 2026 
Erica Komisar, clinical psychologist and author focused on parenting, attachment, and divorce. She discusses when separation may harm or help children, the worst ages for parental breakup, how early attachment shapes emotional regulation, and cultural pressures around career, identity, and family. Short, research-grounded takes that make you rethink timing, stability, and what truly matters in raising kids.
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Choose A Good Divorce Over A Bad Marriage
- Do aim for a 'good divorce' when separation is necessary to reduce harm to children.
- Erica Komisar: divorcing well (co-parenting peacefully, minimizing conflict) mitigates negative effects compared with staying in intractable hostile marriages.
Woohoo Culture Signals Relational Narcissism
- Insight: Celebrating divorce and not having children often reflects a cultural celebration of liberation tied to narcissistic values.
- Erica Komisar links 'woohoo' celebrations to a generational shift that prizes personal freedom over relational commitment.
Stunted Development Keeps People Self-Focused
- Insight: Developmental stunting in young adults keeps them self-focused and prevents the expected shift toward generativity and relationships.
- Komisar ties this arrested development to early neglect and cultural devaluing of parenting.
