Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Adolescence, Psychology, Parenting, Netflix, Mental Health, Film and TV, Stephen Graham
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Adolescence, Psychology, Parenting, Netflix, Mental Health, Film and TV, Stephen Graham
As Adolescence continues to bring in millions of viewers across the globe, a psychologist has weighed in on the series' themes.
Adolescence sees 13-year-old Jamie Miller (played by Owen Cooper) arrested and accused of murdering a girl from his school.
SAG Award-winning actor Stephen Graham stars as Jamie's dad, Eddie, who faces the difficult question of whether his parenting contributed to Jamie's alleged actions.
Men's mentality is a topic that's widely discussed in Adolescence, toxic masculinity in particular.
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Incels are also brought up - a term that has been coined in recent years to describe someone who sees themselves as 'involuntary celibate'. The Anti-Defamation League defines an incels as 'heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success', CNN reported back in 2023.
In Adolescence's third episode, Jamie meets with female psychologist Briony (portrayed The Crown star Erin Doherty).
Of all four episodes, this one in particular has got people talking online, with one Netflix viewer saying it left them with 'goosebumps'.
They wrote on Twitter: "You know when you watch a really good singer and you sit back in amazement, that’s how I’ve just reacted to ep 3 of #adolescencenetflix. That was up there with some of the best acting I’ve ever witnessed! I had goosebumps."
"ADOLESCENCE episode 3 is fantastic," echoed another viewer. "A verbal tennis match between a young boy accused of murder and the psychologist assessing him. Deeply unsettling, at times downright chilling, in its depiction of the mansophere and how insidiously it sinks its hooks into teen boys."
Now Dennis Relojo-Howell, the managing director of Psychreg, has weighed in on the poignant episode as well.
Speaking to UNILAD, he said: "The episode offers a compelling look at how toxic masculinity influences behavior and the psychological dynamics between Jamie and Briony. Jamie’s shifts from vulnerability to aggression reflect the internal struggle many young men experience when trying to navigate masculinity."
The expert added: "His reliance on manosphere ideologies is concerning, as it mirrors how some young people turn to online spaces that reinforce harmful beliefs."
Manosphere is defined as 'websites and internet discussion groups that are concerned with men's interests and rights as opposed to women's, often connected with opposition to feminism or dislike of women' in the Cambridge Dictionary.
Relojo-Howell went on to say of Adolescence's third episode: "Briony’s role highlights the difficulty mental health professionals face when working with individuals who hold these views.
"Her initial empathy gives way to a realisation that Jamie’s mindset is deeply entrenched, making intervention challenging.
"The episode underscores the need for nuanced mental health approaches that address the root causes of these toxic beliefs."
The psychologist's comments come after Graham, star and co-creator of the limited series, warned parents about being 'mindful' about external influences their children are subjected to.
Graham told The Independent: "It's just being mindful of the fact that not only we parent our children, and not only the school educates our children. But also there's influences that we have no idea of that are having profound effects on our young culture, profound effects, positive and extremely negative.
"So it’s having a look at that and seeing that we’re all accountable."
Adolescence is now streaming on Netflix.