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ProfilesMarshall Duke and Robyn Fivush
Fivush says, "Children who have regular family mealtimes are less likely to smoke, drink, use illegal drugs, experiment with sex at a young age, or get into fights." She also points out that they are more likely to do better in school and have healthier eating habits. Their research, associated with Emory's Center on Myth and Ritual in American Life, has also addressed the effects of 9/11 on families. Children who knew more about their families were better able to deal with tragedies such as the terrorist attacks. "If we can find out what contributes to resilience, says Duke, "we can go back to kids being harmed by disadvantaged backgrounds and help them become more resilient." Duke has twice received the Williams Award for Distinguished Teaching during the course of his 30 years in Emory's psychology department. As a clinical psychologist, he works with children to ease the pain of growing up. He also specializes in working with children who have nonverbal language skills problems. He is the author of six books, including a book co-edited with his wife, Sara, a learning disabilities specialist, entitledWhat Works With Children: Wisdom and Reflections from People Who Have Devoted Their Lives to Working With Children. Fivush focuses her research on the emergence of autobiographical memory in social and cultural context, and on relations among memory, narratives and coping with traumatic experiences. She has co-edited five books on memory and its development, co-authored one book on gender development, and written numerous journal articles and book chapters. Marshall Duke homepage: http://www.psychology.emory.edu/clinical/duke/index.html Robyn Fivush homepage:
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About the Project | Psychology at Emory | Planning, Design & Construction | People | Giving Opportunities |
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Family rituals such as dinners together and story telling may help adolescents avoid dangerous behaviors, according to early research findings by Emory psychologists Marshall Duke (Candler Professor of Psychology) and Robyn Fivush (Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology and chair of the department). 
"We're looking at how families tell stories about themselves: positive ones, negatives ones, heroic adventures, and plain old tales," Duke explains. "The hypothesis is that these stories make kids more resilient and able to cope with stress, perhaps through showing that bad things happen, but you can go on. You can find a way to survive." 