Marriage and Family Life

1. Marriage and Family Life Unit 8: Facing Divorce

2. Objective 1: Identify common factors that contribute to problems in a marriage. • Addictions • Clashing lifestyles • Cultural differences • Disagreement about whether to have children • Disagreement about how to raise children • Financial problems and disagreements about spending habits • Infidelity • Poor communication skills

3. Objective 1: Identify common factors that contribute to problems in a marriage. • Significant age difference • Unrealistic expectations of married life • Unrealistic role expectations • Lack of: • Appreciation • Respect • Self-esteem • Similar beliefs and values • Trust • Maturity

4. Objective 4: Determine what impact divorce can have on children and other family members. • Not making feelings clear or not expressing yourself • Not listening to your partner • Ignoring and avoiding problems • Poor timing when bringing up a serious or controversial subject • Making false assumptions or jumping to conclusions • Misinterpretation of body language or statements

5. Objective 3: Distinguish among responses to problems in a marriage. • Marriage counseling • Legal separation • Annulment • Desertion • Divorce

6. Objective 4: Identify sources of communication problems in a marriage. Positive • A partner may feel relief and show increased self-esteem • Relationships with a former spouse may improve • Children may feel relief • A divorce may provide a new beginning

7. Objective 4: Identify sources of communication problems in a marriage. Negative • Relationships between former spouses may deteriorate • Visitation for non-custodial parents may cause friction within the family • Parents may encourage the children to choose sides • Loss of status in the community may occur after a divorce • Emotional reactions can range from anger to loneliness and severe depression • Financial distress for both partners may occur

8. Objective 5: Determine what impact divorce can have on careers. • Divorce may create a need for a non-working spouse to find a paying job outside the home • Divorce may free a non-custodial parent to put more time and energy into a career • Divorce may put an added strain on the custodial parent • Depression can affect some partners after a divorce • Attending court dates can also require time away from work

9. Objective 6: Express views about divorce.

10. Objective 7: Identify potential challenges in remarriages and stepparenting. • Emotional Challenges • Adjustment Challenges • Relationship Challenges

11. Objective 8: Explore personal attitudes about divorce, remarriage and stepparenting.