Inner Power

How To Use Family Stories To Build Young People's Resilience


Listen Later

Written and narrated by Mary J. Cronin, Ph.D.

After a year of closed schools, canceled activities, and missed student milestones, there is finally good news about COVID vaccines and a return to normal. Even as they welcome visiting grandparents, school sports, and in-person birthday parties, however, parents are asking themselves if the kids really will be all right. 


Remote learning and social isolation have taken a toll on school-age children, especially adolescents. It there anything parents can do to rebuild their children’s resilience and self-confidence? One approach that addresses the challenges families face today comes down to a familiar but often overlooked tradition — sharing stories about older relatives and their experiences. 

According to Dr. Marshall P. Duke, a professor of psychology at Emory University, this activity correlates with children developing “higher levels of self-esteem, a belief in one’s own capacity to control what happens to him or her, better family functioning, lower levels of anxiety, fewer behavioral problems, and better chances for good outcomes.”

It turns out that these much-desired outcomes can be obtained from simply sharing stories of older family members’ lives with young people. This regular sharing of family stories has profound and long-lasting consequences that benefit children and adolescents at every stage of life...

Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article)



Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

About the Author

Mary J. Cronin, Ph.D., is an advisor for Write the Family, an intergenerational family storytelling program affiliated with Write the World. She is a Research Professor at Boston College School of Management, and the President of 4Q Catalyst. She serves as a nonprofit director of the Boston Authors Club, the Encore Boston Network, and the Center for Ageless Entrepreneurs, and has authored 12 books on managing digital innovation and social impact.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Inner PowerBy InnerSelfcom


More shows like Inner Power

View all
Sigma Nutrition Radio by Danny Lennon

Sigma Nutrition Radio

387 Listeners

Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger by Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM

Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger

3,438 Listeners

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show by Liz Earle

The Liz Earle Wellbeing Show

233 Listeners

The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee by Physicians Committee

The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee

3,366 Listeners

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast by Dr Rupy Aujla

The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast

582 Listeners

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee by Dr Rangan Chatterjee: GP & Author

Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

3,894 Listeners

The Proof with Simon Hill by Live better for longer

The Proof with Simon Hill

2,603 Listeners

The Wellness Scoop by The Wellness Scoop

The Wellness Scoop

1,309 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

2,039 Listeners