Chapter 15

1. Chapter 15 Divorce

2. Chapter Outline • Ways of Measuring Divorce Prevalence • Macro Factors Contributing to Divorce • Micro Factors Contributing to Divorce • Gender Differences in Filing for Divorce • Consequences for Spouses Who Remain Unhappily Married

3. Chapter Outline • Consequences for Spouses Who Divorce • Effects of Divorce on Children • Conditions of a “Successful” Divorce • Alternatives to Divorce • Divorce Prevention

4. True or False? • The divorce rate has continued to increase so that by 2006, 6 in 10 new marriages were predicted to end in divorce

5. Answer: False • Current estimates suggest that about 40% of those who married in the past couple of decades will divorce (Hawkins et al., 2002). • Goodwin (2003) noted that 20% of first marriages will end in divorce within five years, 33% within 10 years, and 43% within fifteen years of marriage.

6. True or False? • After 15 years of marriage, about 43% of couples will have divorced.

7. Answer: True • After 15 years of marriage, about 43% of couples will have divorced.

8. True or False? • Spouses in loveless, conflicted, unhappy marriages are less healthy/happy than those who divorced/left these type relationships.

9. Answer: True • Spouses in loveless, conflicted, unhappy marriages are less healthy/happy than those who divorced/left these type relationships.

10. True or False? • Whether a spouse initiates the divorce (the “dumper”) or reacts to a spouse who does (the “dumpee”) makes no difference in terms of adjustment to the divorce.

11. Answer: False • Sakraida (2005) interviewed women who both initiated and were the recipient of a terminated relationship and found that the person being dropped (the “dumpee”) was more vulnerable to depression and ruminated more about the divorce.

12. Divorce • The legal ending of a valid marriage contract. • Crude divorce rate • How many divorces have occurred for every 1,000 people in the population. • Refined divorce rate • The number of divorces and annulments in a given year divided by the number of married women in the population times 1,000.

13. Divorce: Macro Factors • Increased Economic Independence of Women • Finding gainful employment outside the home made it possible for the wife to afford to leave her husband if she wanted to. • Changing Family Functions and Structure • Many of the protective, religious, educational, and recreational functions of the family have largely been taken over by outside agencies.

14. Divorce: Macro Factors • Liberalized Divorce Laws • All states now recognize some form of no-fault divorce. • Fewer Moral and Religious Sanctions • Increasingly, marriage is viewed in secular rather than religious terms. • Hence, divorce has become more acceptable.

15. Divorce: Macro Factors • Starter Marriages • Suggests something temporary, like a starter house from which the owners will eventually move. • More Divorce Models • The less deviant the person perceives divorce, the greater the probability the person will divorce if that person’s own marriage becomes strained.

16. Divorce: Macro Factors • Mobility and Anonymity • Divorce thrives when pro-marriage social expectations are not operative. • Individualistic Cultural Goal of Happiness • Unlike familistic values in Asian cultures, individualistic values in American culture emphasize the goal of personal happiness in marriage.

17. Question • Which of the following is not a macro factor of divorce? • value changes • liberalized divorce laws • women's economic independence • individualistic attitudes

18. Answer: A • Value changes are not a macro factor of divorce.

19. Divorce: Micro Factors • Loss of Love • Couples who no longer viewed themselves as being in love are much more likely to divorce. • Negative Behavior • When a spouse’s negative behavior continues to the point of creating more costs than rewards, either partner may begin to seek a more reinforcing situation.

20. Divorce: Micro Factors • Lack of Conflict Resolution Skills • Without skills to resolve conflict, partners drift into patterns of communication that escalate conflict. • Value Changes • Because people change throughout their lives, the person that one selects at one point in life may not be the same partner one would select at another.

21. Divorce: Micro Factors • Satiation • Refers to the state in which a stimulus loses its value with repeated exposure. • Extramarital Relationship • Extramarital involvements sometimes hurry a decaying marriage toward divorce.

22. Divorce: Micro Factors • Perception That Being Divorced Is Better Than Being Married • 2/3 of applications for divorce are filed by women. • This based on the fact that they achieve greater power over their own life, money, and greater control over their children.

23. Question • What is a micro factor of divorce? • value changes • social pressures • religious beliefs • economic institutions

24. Answer: A • Value changes are a micro factor of divorce.

25. Question • When the novelty of marriage wears off, couples usually experience: • satiation • infidelity • increased happiness. • boredom

26. Answer: A • When the novelty of marriage wears off, couples usually experience satiation.

27. Divorce: Top 20 Factors • Courtship of less than two years • Having little in common • Marrying in teens • Differences in race, education, age, religion, social class, values • Not being religiously devout

28. Divorce: Top 20 Factors • A cohabitation history • Previous marriage • No children • Limited education • Urban residence

29. Divorce: Top 20 Factors • Infidelity • Divorced parents • Poor communication skills • Unemployment of husband • Employment of wife

30. Divorce: Top 20 Factors • Depression, alcoholism, or physical illness of spouse or child, as well as imprisonment • Having seriously ill child • Low self-esteem of spouses • Race • Retirement

31. Filing For Divorce: Gender Differences • Women are more likely to seek a divorce. • Feeling a sense of renewed “self identity” was the top reward women reported on the other side of the divorce. • Men are less likely to seek a divorce since they view the cost as separation from their children.

32. Consequences For Spouses Who Remain Unhappily Married • Hawkins and Booth (2005) analyzed longitudinal data of spouses in unhappy marriages over a 12-year period. • They found that those who stayed unhappily married had lower life satisfaction, self-esteem, and overall health compared to those who divorced whether or not they remarried. • They suggest there is no evidence that spouses in unhappy marriages are better off in any aspect of overall well-being than those who divorce.

33. Consequences for Spouses Who Divorce • Fathers’ Separation from Children • Most divorced fathers believe the courts have little interest in protecting their relationship with their children. • Shared Parenting Dysfunction • The set of behaviors on the part of each parent that are counterproductive to the child’s well-being.

34. Consequences for Spouses Who Divorce • Parental Alienation Syndrome • A disturbance in which children are obsessively preoccupied with deprecation and/or criticism of a parent, denigration that is unjustified and/or exaggerated.

35. Minimizing Negative Effects of Divorce on Children • Healthy parental psychological functioning. • A cooperative relationship between the parents. • Parents’ attention to the children and allowing them to grieve. • Encouragement to see noncustodial parent. • Attention from the noncustodial parent.

36. Question • The deliberate, systematic attempt to eliminate the psychological connection of the other parent in a child's life is called • maternal gate keeping • paternal alienation syndrome • maternal alienation syndrome • parental alienation syndrome

37. Answer: D • The deliberate, systematic attempt to eliminate the psychological connection of the other parent in a child's life is called parental alienation syndrome.

38. Your Opinion? • To what degree do you believe the government should be involved in mandating divorce mediation?

39. Conditions of a “Successful” Divorce • Mediate rather than litigate the divorce. • Coparent with your ex-spouse. • Take some responsibility for the divorce. • Learn from the divorce. • Create positive thoughts. • Avoid alcohol and other drugs.

40. Conditions of a “Successful” Divorce • Relax without drugs. • Engage in aerobic exercise. • Engage in fun activities. • Continue interpersonal connections. • Let go of your anger for the ex-partner. • Allow time to heal.

41. Question • Compared with litigation, what is the key feature of divorce mediation? • There is lots of public exposure • It is more expensive • It fosters a better relationship between spouses • It is more time consuming

42. Answer: C • Compared with litigation, a key feature of divorce mediation is that it fosters a better relationship between spouses.

43. Question • What is a condition for a successful divorce? • co-parenting the children • getting everything you want so you won't harbor needless resentment • realize what's best for the couple is ultimately what's best for the children • good litigation

44. Answer: A • Co-parenting the children is a condition for a successful divorce.

45. Alternatives to Divorce • An annulment returns the spouses to their premarital status. • There are two types of separation—formal and informal. • Desertion differs from informal separation in that the deserter walks out and breaks off all contact.

46. Question • The action returning a couple to their premarital status is referred to as • separation • cohabitation • divorce • annulment

47. Answer: D • The action returning a couple to their premarital status is referred to as annulment.

48. Requirements of Covenant Marriage • Full disclosure of information that could affect the partner’s decision to marry. • Oath that the marriage is a lifelong commitment. • Agreement to consider divorce only for reasons such as abuse, adultery, and imprisonment on a felony or separation of more than two years. • Agreement to see a marriage counselor if problems threaten the marriage.