Research about Families: Melissa Robertson

Why is research about families important to you?

Many people find their relationships with family members to be among the most important sources of meaning, purpose, and motivation in their lives. We know that the quality of relationships with family members contributes to important outcomes, such as overall life satisfaction and health. Finding ways that people can prioritize, support, and develop these relationships is important to me because of how important familial relationships are to individual- and family-level thriving.

Why did you choose your area of research?

I’ve always felt really drawn toward understanding the social aspects of work. I’ve been very fortunate to have developed wonderful relationships with mentors over the course of my own career development, and have found these relationships to be among the most impactful experiences in my work life. I’ve also found that my relationships with family members enrich my career and are also strongly influenced by what happens at work. I’m interested in evidence-based strategies for enhancing social behaviors and outcomes in both the work and family domains.

What do you find most inspiring about families?

I find families to be great “natural experimenters”—families try new things all the time, discard what isn’t working, identify patterns and propose hypotheses, and discover new things about each other and family functioning as the members grow and develop.

How is your family unique?

My family is unique because we are an international and interracial family—my husband is American and I am Canadian, and my husband is Black and I am White, and our son is a dual citizen and biracial. We enjoy the diversity in our immediate and extended families and learning from each other.