Cultivating Confidence

Take our Self-Esteem Test

Find a Self Esteem Therapist

Healthy masculinity channels ambition, anger, and drive with wisdom.

Young men are searching for belonging—not simply confidence.

Vulnerability and strength are complementary, not opposing qualities.

Young men in the United States appear to be facing a growing crisis of loneliness, uncertainty, and disconnection.

Gallup data collected in 2023 and 2024 found that 25% of U.S. men ages 15 to 34 reported feeling lonely "a lot" during the previous day, compared with 18% of women the same age (Dugan, 2025). Men are also more likely to misuse drugs, and male overdose mortality rates remain substantially higher than female rates (NIDA, 2020, 2023). The disparity is even more striking in suicide: in 2024, the age-adjusted U.S. suicide rate was 22.2 deaths per 100,000 males compared with 5.6 for females (CDC, 2026a).

These statistics came to mind while watching a CNN segment about the rise of "man camps"—boot-camp-style programs promising greater confidence, practical skills, self-awareness, and dating success.

Their popularity may reflect something deeper than dating anxiety. Many young men seem to be asking not only "How do I become more confident?" but also "Where do I belong, and what does it mean to become a man?"

Doubt and Disconnection

NYU professor Scott Galloway has argued that many young men are increasingly falling behind in education, employment, friendship, and romantic relationships.

Self-doubt may both result from and reinforce this pattern. Academic struggles can erode confidence. Limited economic opportunity may delay independence. Romantic rejection can deepen feelings of inadequacy. Over time, these experiences can lead some young men to withdraw from precisely the experiences that build resilience, competence, and connection.

Educational trends illustrate the challenge. In 2022, 57% of male high school graduates immediately enrolled in college, compared with 66% of female graduates (NCES, 2024a). Among students entering four-year institutions, men also graduated at lower rates (NCES, 2024b).

College is not the only path to adulthood or success. But when young men disengage from education or vocational training, they may also lose important sources of structure, identity, community, and opportunity.

The dating landscape reflects a similar pattern. Pew Research Center found that 63% of men under 30 identified as single, compared with 34% of women (Brown, 2023). While........

© Psychology Today