...The Impact of Divorce on the American Child The number one problem confronting the United States of America in the 21st century is not insecurity or unemployment; it is neither health care nor poverty. It is the disorientation of the family unit caused by high rate of divorce in most homes. The purpose of this research is to examine the overall impact of divorce on children in America. The research will also try to evaluate ways that the society can help children from broken homes overcome the experience. To substantiate this research, the works of Karl Zinsmeister, Naomi Richards, and Williams Jeynes will be considered. In summary, Zinsmeister Karl In his article "Divorce's Toll on Children" argues that the effects of divorce on children...
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...family on children “Broken” Homes: The Effect of Divorce on Children Going through a divorce is a very difficult situation to be in. Usually it is what is happening between the parents, that concerns most people. However hurtful divorce is on the couple that is going through it, the children end up with the greatest amount of problems. These problems that the children develop are not always obvious, and do no always come to the surface right away. “Most often the children responded to the announcement [of the divorce] with apprehensiveness or anger . . . Several children panicked . . . finally, a great many of the younger children, about one-third of the entire group, didn’t really believe what they had been told. For these youngsters, the single announcement by the parents made it easier for them to pretend that the divorce would soon go away and to postpone their own response to the frightening changes in their lives” (Wallerstein 40-41). Children often try to stop the divorce of their parents, but there are many who seem to accept it at first. These who seem to accept it may even tell their parents that they are happy about the divorce. This is not necessarily the case, as one would see if he or she spoke with the child for a while. There are many things that divorce does to a family, and there are many things that is does to the child. These effects are rarely positive, or helpful depending upon the family’s prior situation. Divorce has many negative effects on...
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...Examine the reasons for changes in divorce rate since 1971. Divorce has been an increasing trend due to numerous reasons such as changes in attitude, changes in law and changes in the economic position of women. In 1941, the grounds for divorce were widened meaning that ‘irretrievable breakdown’ was allowed as grounds for divorce. Irretrievable breakdown means that a marriage stopped working, but there is no blame on the people within the marriage; the marriage simply broke down and the people within that marriage were no longer happy with each other. This lead to an increase in divorce because previously couples who did not love each other had no specific grounds for divorce, such as adultery, and this is why the divorce rate doubled in 1972. In 1993, divorce rates were at the highest they had ever been, peaking at 180,000. This may have been down to high expectations of what marriage would be like, and these expectations not being met. Functionalists such as Fletcher believe that over the last few centuries, and idea of ‘romantic love’ has become dominant; when the love dies, people see no reason to stay together. The obsession for finding ‘the one’ can be pursued after divorce. Another reason for divorce rate increasing is that the stigma that used to be attached to it is disappearing. People used to view divorce as shameful, the church condemned it and would refuse to marry people who had been divorced. However, divorce us now seen as bad luck for those involved rather...
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...Why is the divorce rate increasing? October 12, 2007 tags: Divorce, Relationships Divorce is on the rise. Whether it’s Delhi or Lucknown, Kerala or Punjab, Kolkata or Chennai, the upper classes or the middle classes, metros or semi-urban areas…the specter of divorce is now here to haunt us all. Why, just in Delhi the figures go thus: 1960’s – 1-2 cases per year 1980 – 100-200 cases per year 1990s – 1,000 cases per year This decade…a jump to 9,000 cases per year About Mumbai (update): So far nearly 7,000 divorce cases have already been filed at the family court this year, and the number is expected to reach 7,200 by year-end — 60 per cent more than the 4,500 cases filed in 2005. Couples in the 25-35 age group accounted for 70 per cent of the cases, and 85 per cent of them were filed in the first three years of marriage. A lot of us have tried to understand why the divorce rate in India has been low for so many years (post on divorce rates of the world) and why it was slated to increase. In this post I shall concentrate on the latter question…divorce rates in the context of modern society. Here are some pointers as to why divorce rates are increasing (not in order of importance) and you will find that some points are connected: Greater societal acceptance of divorcees in urban areas and also a gradual acceptance of divorced daughters by families (not in rural areas) because families have started to believe that perhaps their daughter can have a life after marriage and without a...
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...Effects of Divorce on Children Elizabeth O’Connor Psychology 210 Liberty University Online Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to examine the effects divorce has on children. This paper will look at several areas of child development and introduce some statistics on children affected by divorce. It will discuss pre and post-divorce family environments and the factors that lead to it, as well as the effects 25 years post-divorce. It will also summarize studies conducted by other researchers and present ideas found to be true from clinical interviews and following a group of children from 18 months post parental divorce to 25 years later. Other topics will include family functioning pre and post-divorce, the impact of father involvement post-divorce; as well as common behavioral issues present with children of parental divorce families. In conclusion a summary of how variations in home life, parenting style and personalities can affect the outcome of long term effects on children of parental divorce. I. Introduction Several studies have been conducted over the years analyzing the effects divorce has on children. This research has proved to be a valuable tool in the field of psychology. This year over one million children will experience parental divorce (Demo & Supple, 2003) and the effects can last a lifetime. Of those one million children fifty percent of them are under the age of six (Wallerstein & Lewis, 2004). II. Statistics In the United...
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...ARTICLE 2 Divorce announcement from parents can be a shocking news to the children. The trauma that the kids will experience can be too much that they might eventually lost interest in school and life itself. Divorce is the hardest challenge that can happen to a couple especially if they have kids. It is painful for the husband and wife to finally end their marriage but they are two matured individuals who are strong enough to handle changes in their lives. The impact of this turn of events in a family’s life is more devastating on the children. Not only that it is painful for them on that moment to hear the news that their parents are getting a divorce. But the worst that can happen is the long term effect that can eventually ruin their future. In most cases, usually one parent keeps custody of his/her children. But despite of that, the thought that they are no longer complete seem unacceptable. Here are some effects of a broken family on children: 1. A broken home can make a child insecure. Insecure in a sense that he no longer had a complete family he can call his own. For a child’s mind, a family is composed of a father, mother and children. And living without either his father or mother will create fear and insecurities in him. This feeling of insecurities will even trigger if he is around his friends who are living a normal, complete and happy life. This is especially true in school events where the parents’ presence are required. There are plenty of school activities...
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...Richard Q. Bell (Author of Psychological review and Child effects on adults) thought that even though trauma and risks were inevitable to an environment, that the child’s differences in behavior were less likely to be genetically influenced rather than being environmentally influenced. The research for environmental effects was not only done on infants, but also on middle schoolers and high schoolers. The environmentally risks included a parents influences (Maternal drug and alcohol use, as well as severe maternal stress) as well as in adolescent’s use of cannabis can be tied back to being in the womb. The most common of disorders, depression, has been linked to a combination of early developmental experiences, genetic vulnerability, and exposure to many stressors such as traumatic experiences. Even though each and every child reacts to stress in a different way due to an adolescent’s personality and situation, many types of family organization/traumatic experiences are closely related to the development of mental illness symptoms in...
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...example of such a family role is a family business. A family could own a car lot that has been in the family for generations. The family member who currently is in charge of the business may decide to retire, and hand down the business to another family member. Researchers have studied families, and the impact that marital problems may have on their children. Marital issues may result in dissolution and divorce, which may be difficult for children to cope with. Researchers have linked dissolution, and divorce to the children following in the footsteps of their parents, who are most likely to experience a dissolution or divorce in their lifetime (“Intergenerational Transmission”, 2003). Parents who have multiple marriages also increase the chances of their children as adults have multiple marriages (“Intergenerational Transmission”, 2003). Parents having multiple marriages produces negative effects on their children, which may lead the children to having unstable marriages that do not last as long as the marriages of individuals in which their parents did not divorce (“Intergenerational Transmission”, 2003). Adults may emphasize the importance of family values, but if the values are not portrayed with high importance, the children will not think of the values as being as important as they should. Intergenerational...
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...individuals have more than one child the government have put in place a series of penalties try and control their population. In the UK sociologists are interested in if social policy has caused families to become more diverse or different. One way in which families have become more diverse is an increase in same sex families. This is lesbian and gay couples living with children. Social policies that can be linked to this type of family diversity are laws to do with homosexuality in the UK. For example, in 1967 male homosexuality was legalised in the UK this has made homosexuality more socially accepted; this would allow gay couples to start a recognised family. However, other social policies have made same sex families even more accepted. For example, in 2002 the UK adoption laws were changed to allow gay couples to adopt children and create a family unit. Furthermore, in 2004 the Civil Partnership Act meant that gay individuals could now enter into a civil partnership; resulting in the stability and long term commitment of a family. All these changes could be linked to the growth of same sex families. Some sociologists are really happy with these changes. For example, feminists believe that society is patriarchal, meaning that men dominate and exploit women. They...
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...Impact of Divorce on Children Jennifer Maples Liberty University Abstract When parents reject each other by divorce that eventually ends in totally separate lives for the father and the mother, the strengths of their children are not as developed as they could be, and ore weaknesses occur in major outcomes such as derivations, addictions, abuse and failure. When fathers and mothers belong to each other in marriage their children thrive, when they are indifferent or walk away from each other or reject each other, their children do not thrive as much, and many wilt a lot. The children of parents who reject each other suffer: in deep emotional pain, ill health, depression, anxiety, even shortened life span; more drop out of school, less go to college, they earn less income, they develop more addictions to drugs and alcohol, and they engage in increased violence or suffer it within their homes. Society also suffers with more gangs, more assaults, more violence against women and children, more sexual abuse of women and children, and much bigger bills for jails, increased need for health care supplemental education, addiction programs, foster care, homelessness programs, and on and on. The expansion of all these social program budgets is directly linked to the breakdown of marriage. When mothers and fathers belong to each other and strive to belong to God in worship the greatest strengths emerge and the least problems are present. All Children are affected by divorce in some...
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...explanations of the increase in the number of divorces since the 1960s Divorce refers a married couple ending their marriage contract between themselves. Official statistics show that the divorce rate has generally risen over the last 40 years; also there have been fluctuations during that time. Since the 1960s the numbers of divorces have increased greatly in the United Kingdom, the number of divorces doubled between 1961 and 1969, and had then doubled again by 1972. The upward trend continued, peaking in 1993 at 180,000. Since then, numbers have slightly decreased to 157,000 in 2001. This rate means that about 40% of marriages end in divorce. About 7 out of 10 applications for divorce come from women; this is in contrast to the situation in the past. For example, in 1946 only 37% of applications came from women – barely half todays figure. Sociologists have identified the following reasons for the increase in divorce: changes in the law, declining stigma and changing attitudes, secularisation, rising expectations of marriage and changes in the position of women. One explanation for the increase in the number of divorces since 1960 is the changes in law. Divorce was very difficult to do in the 19th century Britain, especially for women. Gradually, over time divorce has been made easier. There are three kinds of changes in the law; equalising the legal reasons for divorce been the sexes, widening the grounds for divorce and divorce being made cheaper. The most significant change...
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...dominant ideology of the traditional nuclear family. Functionalists Roles of the Family – Parsons The Functionalist Talcott Parsons sees two main functions that the family performs these are: • The primary socialisation of children Parson argues that every individual must internalise the norms and values of society. He said it is the family that moulds the child’s personality to fit the needs of society, producing children who are committed to shared norms and values and who have a strong sense of belonging to society • The stabilisation of adult personalities Adults need emotional security, which is given by partners in a marriage, and they also need a source of release from the stresses and strains of daily life, which they get from being able to indulge in childish behaviour when playing with their children. This ‘stabilisation’ is often referred to as the ‘warm bath theory’. Other functions of the family; • The family is an important agent of social control. It defines what is socially acceptable behaviour. The family also allow...
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...dominant ideology of the traditional nuclear family. Functionalists Roles of the Family – Parsons The Functionalist Talcott Parsons sees two main functions that the family performs these are: • The primary socialisation of children Parson argues that every individual must internalise the norms and values of society. He said it is the family that moulds the child’s personality to fit the needs of society, producing children who are committed to shared norms and values and who have a strong sense of belonging to society • The stabilisation of adult personalities Adults need emotional security, which is given by partners in a marriage, and they also need a source of release from the stresses and strains of daily life, which they get from being able to indulge in childish behaviour when playing with their children. This ‘stabilisation’ is often referred to as the ‘warm bath theory’. Other functions of the family; • The family is an important agent of social control. It defines what is socially acceptable behaviour. The family also allow...
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...Effects of Single Parent Homes on Children Abstract Throughout the world, there are numerous children being raised in single parent homes. This paper is a summary of the increase of children raised by single parents and the effects it has on them. Single parent homes will consist of households with at least one child under the age of 18 and only one parent as a result of divorce, death, or parents having never been married. The effects on cognitive, social, and emotional development of these children will be compared to that of children raised in two-parent homes. Effects of Single Parent Homes on Children The American family dynamic has seen a drastic shift in the past few decades. The nuclear family structure, consisting of a father, mother, and children, has been rapidly decreasing as more and more children are being raised in single-parent homes. Divorce, parental death, or couples having never been married are some common circumstances leading to single-parenthood. Being a single-parent and sole provider for children can be a difficult and overwhelming task. Having to single handedly juggle all the responsibilities of career, maintaining a household, and raising children is hard on not only the parent but it takes a toll on the children, as well. When compared to their married-couple counterparts, the effects on cognitive, social and emotional development of children raised in single parent homes is made apparent. They are placed at a disadvantage and their...
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...have been made to try and prevent this from happening but companies still practice it. Groups like the EEOC (equal employment opportunity commission) were created to enforce laws against discrimination in the work place. Some things we can do to change this is to look at person for their work ethic and quality and ignore the color of their skin or whether they are male or female. Through history we have tried to make everyone have the same standing in society which is called pluralism. We would take groups and “Americanize” them; you can see this in what we did to the Native Americans. Also we have segregated groups some by force, like the Jim Crow laws in the south, but others are by choice like the groups of the Amish. Reaction: In my life I have seen this happen on the news and in newspapers multiple times. That is why I have known about this social problem since I was younger. I think it’s shocking that companies can’t discriminate when it comes to hiring employees and yet they still do it. I hope that when I get out of college and looking for a job that I won’t be involved in some time of discrimination. I believe I won’t do this personally because I grew up in a town with a diverse...
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