Summary
SEPARATION; PROCESS AND OUTCOME
The Phases of separation: preseparation, early separation, midseparation, late separation
Some Outcomes of Marital Separation: separation and reconciliation, separation without divorce, separation and divorce
TRENDS IN DIVORCE
Are U.S. Divorce Rates Alarming?
Divorce Rates Have Decreased
THE PROCESS OF DIVORCE
Emotional Divorce
Legal Divorce
Economic Divorce
Coparental Divorce
Community Divorce
Psychic Divorce
WHY DO PEOPLE DIVORCE?
Macro-Level Reasons for Divorce: divorce laws, religious institutions, the economy, military service, cultural values, social integration, technology
annulment- a ruling that a marriage is invalid for a variety of reasons, including adultery pressure to marry, failure to consummate a marriage through vaginal intercourse, or refusal to have children
Demographic Variables and Divorce: parental divorce, age at marriage premarital pregnancy and childbearing, premarital cohabitation, presence of children, gender, race and ethnicity, social class, religion, similarity between spouses
Micro-Level/Interpersonal Reasons for Divorce: unrealistic expectations, conflict and abuse, infidelity, communication
Same-Sex Divorce
HOW DIVORCE AFFECTS ADULTS
Physical, Emotional, and Psychological Effects: physical well-being, emotional and psychological well-being, the chicken and egg question
Economic and Financial Changes: alimony, gender, age
Child Custody: types of custody, some pros and cons of co-custody
Child Support: who pays and gets child support?, child support and visitation, enforcement of child support
Do Visitation and Child Support Improve Children's Lives?
HOW DIVORCE AFFECTS CHILDREN
In a Divorce, Should Your Child Be Your Peer?
What Hurts Children Before, During, and After Divorce?: parental problems before a divorce, timing of divorce, ongoing parental conflict and hostility, quality of parenting, economic hardship, cumulative effects of divorce
What Helps Children Before, During and After Divorce?
SOME POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF SEPARATION AND DIVORCE
Benefits for Children
Benefits for Adults
COUNSELING, MARITAL THERAPY, DIVORCE MEDIATION, AND COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE
Counseling and Marital Therapy: advantages, disadvantages
Divorce Mediation- a trained arbitrator helps the couple come to an agreement: advantages, disadvantages
Collaborative Divorce- method of trying to resolve disputes before finalizing a divorce in court: advantages, disadvantages
Points of Interest
On page 422 the book brings up the discussion of divorce in religious institutions. A the end of the section the author states, "religious institutions- however unintentionally- support if not increase divorce". It really frustrates me that this may be the reality. In my religion class we are discussing how religious institutions accept people into the congregation that may not follow the rules and morals in their religion. This is problematic because it confuses people into thinking that the religion or God is accepting to this immorality.
Question
Do you think America should make divorces harder to get? On page 439 the book discusses the topic. What are some disadvantages and advantages to making divorce harder or easier to get?
Although I understand that the divorce rate in America is quite high, I don't think that the government or any other party should meddle with people's relationships. Divorces happen for many reasons, and if an outsider has the ability to judge the reasons for a divorce, they might not see the severity of the situation. When you are directly involved or affected by a relationship, you have a completely different role in it than most people, and therefore, you often times see the relationship for what it really is. Although divorces are not the hardest thing to obtain, I do feel that the aftermath and even the settling of agreements during the process makes it challenging enough. If America begins trying to make it harder to get a divorce, they might end up keeping more people in detrimental relationships than necessary.
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