...Half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent’s marriage. Of these, close to half will also see the breakup of a parent’s second marriage, and forty percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers. You may not believe this but for some kids divorce has more of an impact on children than death. Parents are going through divorces when children are too young to even understand what is going on, what will these kids be thinking when they're sixteen, and they do not have a dad. Children get affected by so many things at a young age, but what people don’t understand, is that children are smarter than you think. Diane McSweeney, a marriage, family, and child counselor for the San Diego Unified...
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...Palak Patel Mrs. Roman Eng102 Date: 03/16/2012 Divorce in America In the 21st century, so many Americans are struggling with divorce. Studies show that approximately sixty percent of marriage in America ends in divorce, and this does not seem to be slow down (“Divorce”). Nowadays, divorce is more common as compared to the past. Furthermore, so many issues are related to divorce: couples do not want to compromise about their relationship, women are becoming more independent, and couples are getting married too young. According to Wilson, “couples who live together before marriage have higher divorce rates than those who do not, and less educated couples tend to divorce at higher rates than those with more education” (“Introduction to Divorce”). It is also possible that couples are getting married for the wrong reasons, and they are not putting enough effort into their relationship, and their marriages end in divorce. Children are struggling as well as their parents because when parents become divorced the children become divorced too. After parents get divorced, children face a lot of stress during their lives. In the 21st century, the divorce rate in the American family is increasing because married couples are refusing to compromise about their relationship which is posing a potential danger to children. The divorce rate continues to increase in America over last twenty five years. As a matter of facts, the divorce rate is higher in today’s society compared to the past...
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...Is Divorce A Good Or Bad Thing? Introduction Divorce is defined as a marriage ending before any of the spouses die. According to dictionary.com, “divorce is a judicial declaration dissolving a marriage in whole or in part, especially one that releases the husband and wife from all matrimonial obligations.” Some countries in which divorce has become commonplace are the United States and South Africa. Divorce is not considered as big a deal today as it has been in the past. There has been an increase in divorce. Some people believe that the age of a child is an important factor in determining the impact divorce may have on a child (Beekman, 1986). Some also believe that, gender has an impact on the reaction to divorce on both children and parents (Whitton, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2008). Others believe that the impact divorce may have on parents is when they have less personal relationship commitment to their own marriage and are less confident in their own ability to maintain a happy marriage (Whitton, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2008). People may also believe that the communities that surround the family unit may be the cause of divorce (Wolfinger, 2005). One of the positive reasons for divorce is that women are becoming dependent and working in many different workforces (Jennifer, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of divorce. In order to do this, the paper is divided in two sections. The first section will examine the...
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...Considering all the repercussions involved in divorce, such as economic and emotional damage, is it better to stay in an unhappy marriage for the sake of the children? Divorce creates a vicious family cycle that is most difficult to break once it has begun. Psychological, economic and emotional methods of thinking must be completely reconfigured in order to have a remote chance that the cycle in families will break. Divorce represents a catastrophic change in the marital cycle. Divorce may bring to light many areas of marital conflict that children could be previously unaware of (Hines, 1997). So much of a child’s happiness and fulfillment is dependent upon their parents. It may be difficult for children to avoid taking sides in parental disputes and conflicts that occur during or after the divorce or separation. How divorce affects the child and child-parent relationships, the legal implications of divorce on the couple, and the impact of divorce on the society at large will be examined. Much evidence from various sources concurs with the theory that children, who are directly exposed to divorce, suffer more than children from intact families in a variety of ways. They exhibit more conduct problems, more symptoms of psychological problems, lower academic achievement, more social difficulties and worse self-esteem (Amarto, 1997). Although various legal and therapeutic interventions are used to improve the well being of children of divorce, little research has been conducted to...
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...Potential Effects of Divorce Throughout Different Stages of a Child’s Development Nisha S. Sunny Child Development: APSY 203 Professor: Catherine Walker Divorce in the American society is becoming an increasingly common trend as the years go by. Fifty percent of all marriages end in divorce and with each passing year, about 2 million children are brought into a whirlwind filled with changes and chaos after their parent’s separation (Divorce Rate). During this period of turmoil and intense emotion, the child is expected to rebuild numerous aspects of their lives and understand a series of complex events. They are most likely to see the sudden difference in financial stability, new duties around the house and may receive less nurturing from their parents as well. These series of events will lead to a difference in each of Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems, which include, the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and the chronosystem. This ecological systems theory primarily puts the center of attention on the quality of a child’s environment and also focuses on how these complex layers will each effect a child’s development through the divorce period. Many may think that while a child of divorce is in their infant stage, that a divorce will not affect their lives. This is mainly because it is believed that the child will automatically grow into a life where they are used to their parents being separated and not...
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...Divorce Conflict Hurts Children Christina Henderson DeVry University Divorce Conflict Hurts Children Six year old Olivia stands alone in front of her bedroom window, silent tears streaming down her tiny face. She watches her father put his suitcase in his car and drive away. She does not know what divorce is, but she does know on some internal level, that her life will never be the same. Olivia is right; divorce is a watershed event in the life of a child. Life following a divorce is dramatically changed from how life was before. The purpose of this proposal is to convince divorced parents to stop engaging in hostility and conflict with their ex-wives and ex-husbands so the children do not continue to suffer more. Divorce is commonplace in today’s world; 40 to 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, annulment, or separation (Issitt, 2014, para. 8). Children of divorced parents are at a disadvantage socially, emotionally, and financially, and the effects of divorce on children are amplified by conflict between the parents. As a child of a messy divorce, I know firsthand how harmful parental conflict can be to a child; I still deal with it today, 30 years after my parents’ divorce. I will further establish credibility by including information from Pickhardt (2011), Sedacca (2014), and Whitehead (2013), who are experts on child psychology and divorce. Approximately half of all marriages in the United States now end in divorce, this issue affects millions of people in our country...
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...Divorce and Children According to the study that was done in 2004 "In the United States, between 43% and 50% of first marriages end in divorce"(U.S Census Bureau qtd inLansford 140). One can assume that many children will experience some affects caused by divorce. There is evidence to support that children would be better off if the parents stayed married and there is equal supporting evidence that it would be better off if they divorced. A survey done in 2009 by 1000 teenagers "When asked what the teens wanted their parents to know they said that divorce "hurts," "sucks" and that they "don’t want to be blamed for it" or caught in the middle"(GordonPoll Youth Survey qtd inJolivet 175). There are three main areas that impact children's experience with divorce such as behavioral, psychological, and social issues. Children are effected by divorce in many ways which cause their behavior to not be normal. When children go through a traumatic event, such as losing a parent to divorce, they want to act out because they are hurt, and do not know what to do with their emotions. An article written by Ahron Constance states "…..divorce prevents certain risks, is an emotionally stressful and complex transition for families, and continues to affect children into adulthood" (55). Divorce is a hard thing for children to learn how to cope with. Children of different ages rebel in different ways; they do this because at different age levels they cannot comprehend certain things and are...
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...The Impact of Divorce on Children Sociology 210 Amy Totten Abstract How do children react to divorce? In most recent times, the impact of divorce on children has emerged as a problem of concern. Divorce may be the most devastating situation that can happen to children. Alarmingly, studies have revealed that 50 percent of children under the age of 18 will experience the dissolution of their parents’ marriage. When a divorce occurs, parents tend to forget about the child and do not realize how much of a negative impact that it has on the child. Children already go through enough stress of just everyday situations and to add to it only make things worse. The impact of divorce will affect each child differently, but all will experience some type of emotional distress. This paper will provide a detailed description of the emotional and psychological effects of divorce on infants; school aged children and adolescents, behavioral development in children of divorce, and strategies to help children cope with divorce. The Impact of Divorce on Children The traditional lifestyle of living with both parents is almost rare in today’s society. Divorce is a very tragic situation especially when it involves children. As the world turns, the divorce rates continue to rise. Studies have revealed that 50 percent of children under the age of 18 will experience divorce. In the process of the divorce parents really don’t understand that through divorce it affects them but it also...
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...Divorce and the Destruction of the Family Ron Swanson Western Washington University The Destruction of the Family Throughout history, societies that valued traditional marriage and sexual abstinence were able to remain fundamentally strong and have flourished. Once a society decides to abandon these simple principles, destruction inevitably follows. J. Unwin (1934) wrote, “In human records, there is no instance of a society retaining its energy after a complete new generation has inherited a tradition which does not insist on prenuptial and postnuptial continence” (Unwin, 1934, p. 174). In today’s society, family and marriage are not defined by the traditional definition handed down through several millennia of history; rather the definition has been warped, and a new unstable version of the family has been accepted by our society. Traditional marriage is by its nature, the foundation of the family. The family is the building block of society, and marriage is the basis of the family. The devaluation of the conventional family, and more specifically, the destruction of traditional marriage by divorce, can have no other outcome but the destruction of our society. There are many reasons to evaluate why we have arrived at this state in our society: the growth of consumerism and commercialism, influence of Hollywood over our lives, the decline of religiosity in the United States, the decline of the social order and neighborhood relationships. All of these reasons are legitimate...
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...Effects of Divorce for Children Linda G. Chelette Riverside City College Ear 20 Tuesday (6:00pm-9:10pm) Tanya Gonzalez September 30, 2014 Research has shown effects on divorce for children have many pros and cons. Some cons are psychological problems, anxiety, lower self-esteem, and depression. Academic performance is also an aspect that affects a child as well as having a healthy relationship. Children from divorced parents also develop conduct problems as well as conflict in sexual activity. Pros would be controlling hostile conflict, improving child and parent relationship as well as improving the quality of parenting. Many experts may agree to disagree on the effects of divorce for children. Studies have shown children with divorce parents have higher anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. This effect’s more females with divorced parents compared to females with intact families. As for male’s it affects them in different ways they become hopeless and discouraged. The depression carries on to adulthood effecting children with low self-esteem, this effect’s personal relationships with friendship as well as the opposite sex. (Portnoy, 2008) Academic performance also affects children with divorced parents; lower test scores will also exhibit lower educational aspirations. Children are likely to drop out of school and achieve lower levels of education. Which eventually effects lower adult occupational status in the long run can lead to school dropouts. Children of divorced...
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...The Causes of Divorce In America today, one of many people’s main life goals is to marry the first person they fall in love with, live happily ever after, and skip gleefully away to live the American dream. However, millions of married couples quickly find themselves turning to divorce as an answer, to ending the fairy tale they had once dreamed. Many people would ask “why?” the perfect couple would choose such a negative ending to their once happy marriage. In some cases, many couples have to question their own motives for divorce. Although there are many alternate roots to fixing the simplest problems that may occur in a marriage, for some, simple does not always mean easy. It is certain that the cause of divorce varies from couple to couple, yet lack of communication, money and children, is among the most common causes of divorce. Lack of communication in a marital relationship, is one of the most common causes of divorce, because when two people lack communication, they are unable to solve problems that may occur in the marriage. Many married couples think that the minor problems that occur in their marriage, are insignificant, and are not worth talking about; however, they fail to realize that even the smallest things can cause conflict between the two when they are not able to solve them through communication. Many couples lack communication when it comes to making decisions about shared finances. This can cause financial issues to arise, and arguments to escalade in the...
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...How Divorce Impacts Children Under the Age of 18 F. Jeanpierre Psychology Abstract In this research you will see how divorce impacts children under the age of 18. The effects are not universal. Divorce affects children differently based on their age, personality and sexuality. Divorce affects children both mentally and physically. In this research, you will see how divorce can impact children immediately as well as post divorce. I will start with infants, preschool age children, school-aged and then adolescents. Then you will see how divorce affects children spiritually. Furthermore, you will see how the affect of divorce varies based on the child's gender. Finally, in this research paper, you will see ways to help a child adjust after divorce. Infants The first age group is infants. Not too much is known on the affects of divorce for children under the age of 3. Some have speculated that children under the age of 3 does not always suffer from their parents divorced. Thus, sociologist and psychologist agreed that problems in personality can developed if the child had a strong bond between the parents and those bonds are broken due to the divorce. Professionals highly encourage parents to make arrangements so the potential, full affect of the divorce won’t impact the child as much. The conflict of divorce may not be understood by infants, but they can react to changes in the parent’s level of energy and involvement. Infants can lose their appetite, have an upset...
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...The Impact of Divorce on Children Under the Age of 18 Jason Cruise Liberty University Online Psych 210-D04 LUO Abstract In the United States, divorced couples have become the norm of a culture so diverse and self-absorbed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 46% of all marriages end in divorce. As a result, children often suffer irreparable damage emotionally, socially, and academically. This paper seeks to examine the vast biosocial, psychosocial, and cognitive aspects related to divorced parents and the stressors and consequences there within. In addition, many children are drastically affected by the three periods that occur during a divorce. The results incur that, although sometimes the situation improves, most children often experience lower academic success, as well as decreases in their biosocial, psychosocial, and cognitive development. The Impact of Divorce on Children under the Age of 18 Overview of Divorce Divorce is a common reality in every country and culture throughout the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 46% of all U.S. marriages end in divorce (Marriage and Divorce, 2013). Therefore, researchers have placed a lot of focus on divorce over other methods of terminating a cohabiting relationship (Berger, 2011). In addition, Berger (2011) says, “Divorce occurs because at least one half of a couple believes that he or she would be happier not married” (p....
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...Divorce Affect the Lives of Children Critical Thinking – PHI210 Dr. ED Yancey Daphney Pratcher Abstract Divorce is a very common word in today's society. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage or a complete or radical severance of closely connected things (Gottman, J. 1994).). This dissolution of marriage has increased very rapidly in the past fifty years. Throughout this paper I will discuss divorces effects on children. The dissolution of a marriage is a legal act that may not coincide with the emotional tearing asunder. Divorce is typically a painful process for all concerned. While it can take adults time to regain psychological equilibrium, there is debate whether children ever recover a stable perspective. Post-divorce hostility between adults, in addition to directly harming kids, is a sure indicator that the emotional split is incomplete. In the U.S., divorce rates have been rising since the beginning of the 20th century, and especially since the 1970s, when no-fault divorce was instituted. Some experts contend that the easing of divorce laws has helped make marriage stronger by rooting it more deeply in personal choice, although it does little to give people the skills needed to work out the inevitable difficulties that arise in marriage. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually...
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...Divorce or dissolution of marriage is a legal process in which a judge or other authority dissolves the bonds of matrimony existing between two persons, thus restoring them to the marital status of being single. A divorce does not declare a marriage null and void, as in an annulment, but rather declares that a fully consummated marriage is irretrievably broken and that it should be dissolved, allowing the parties to marry other individuals. Divorce laws vary considerably around the world. Divorce is not permitted in some countries, such as in Malta and in the Philippines, though an annulment is permitted. The legal process for divorce may also involve issues of spousal support, child custody, child support, distribution of property and division of debt, though these matters are usually only ancillary or consequential to the dissolution of the marriage. In some jurisdictions divorce does not require a party to claim fault of their partner that leads to the breakdown of marriage. But even in jurisdictions which have adopted the "no fault" principle in divorce proceedings, a court may still take into account the behaviour of the parties when dividing property, debts, evaluating custody, and support. In most jurisdictions, a divorce must be certified by a court of law to become effective. The terms of the divorce are usually determined by the court, though they may take into account prenuptial agreements or postnuptial agreements, or simply ratify terms that the spouses may have...
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