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Taking Sides Paper
Jenna Klumker
Brigham Young University
SFL 210 / Section 001
20-277-8889
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Taking Sides: Divorce
Controversies relating to human development and psychological subjects are what make
the topic so interesting and appealing to a wide variety of people. However, if researchers have
flaws and weaknesses while conducting their studies and don’t present it in a convincing way,
then their research may be seen as irrelevant and inapplicable. For this reason, it is important
that we know and can differentiate between accurate studies and those which may have some
kinks. The purpose of this paper is to show how a research study can lose credibility through not
citing information, not showing valid correlation based on when the study began and ended, and
overgeneralization by not taking into account many different home-life situations that could
drastically change the outcome of the research.
Summary
Karl Zinsmeister’s Divorce’s Toll on Children outlines the negative effects and
consequences that divorce has on children. The research discusses children’s terrible views on
divorce and how the option to divorce is way too easy to obtain. The study also shows not only
the short-term effects of divorce, such as lack of imagination, dependency, and disobedience, but
also the long-term effects like depression, lifelong emotional issues, and even divorce of their
own. Divorce is shown to create severe behavioral changes throughout a person’s lifetime as
well. Aspects of life such as school, psychological issues, sexual identity, self-esteem,
pregnancy, and even crime are all negatively affected by divorce. This research shows that
divorce is negative in numerous ways, but it seems to all start because the child’s views on
family life and love change so drastically when they see their families getting torn apart.
Unfortunately, as time goes on, divorce seems to be all around us. The rates of divorce are
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increasing. We see it on the media, listen to it through music, and are surrounded by it through
family and friends.
Critical Analysis
Weaknesses
One of the main ways that researchers can lose credibility is through not citing their
sources in the text. In the article by Zinsmeister, he says that “young boys tend to be more
vehemently opposed to the divorce, to long more for their father, to feel rejected by him, and to
feel uncertain about their masculinity. They are more likely than girls to become depressed and
angry. Many later have problems developing intimacy, and build lifestyles of solitary interests
and habits” (Zinsmeister, 1996, p. 157). This research is interesting and could potentially be
relevant, but there are no sources. It significantly loses credibility and validity when the
researchers don’t show in-text proof of their studies. The study continues to talk about the
effects of divorce on children and says that “after a decade, 45 percent of the children were doing
well, 14 percent were succeeding in some areas but failing in others, and 41 percent were still
doing quite poorly” (Zinsmeister, 1996, p. 157). This information isn’t any good to us if we
don’t know where it came from. With research of this nature, we need details. It’s necessary to
know the sample size of the study, the ages of the kids being studied, their parents’ background,
financial stability, and what their family life looks like now. Without sources telling us where
we can find more details about the research, knowing that 45 percent of children are doing well
ten years after a divorce means absolutely nothing.
Correlation is another critical part of a strong research study. It’s important to see that
one aspect of the study was affected by and in direct relation to another part of the research.
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However, it’s difficult to see the correlation in some parts of this article. Zinsmeister says “in
the early months after divorce, young children are often less imaginative and more repetitive.
Many become passive watchers. They tend to be more dependent, demanding, unaffectionate,
and disobedient…” (Zinsmeister, 1996, p. 155). This research can be questionable for a couple
of reasons. 1. For an effective, valid study to have been done, we would’ve had to have studied
these same kids before they experienced divorce. Who’s to say these same kids wouldn’t have
been dependent, demanding, and unaffectionate regardless of a divorce? There isn’t necessarily
a strong, reliable correlation between divorce and these negative attributes without knowing how
the children acted prior to the experience. 2. Maybe this study did include the necessary
research of a child’s behavior before and after a divorce, but that brings us back to the previous
paragraph where we discussed that properly citing in-text sources increases credibility and
validity.
Everybody’s circumstances are different, which makes research based on behavioral
differences after divorce challenging and controversial because there will always be an
exception. A problem found within this study is overgeneralization and not taking into account
different home-life situations that could potentially alter behavioral differences for one child but
not another. Research shows that “contrary to popular perceptions, the alternative to most
divorces is not life in a war zone. Though more than 50 percent of all marriages currently end in
divorce, experts tells us that only about 15 percent of all unions involve high levels of conflict”
(Zinsmeister, 1996, p. 154). The way in which a divorce ends could have a great impact on how
the child will behave and develop throughout the rest of their life. If a child is involved in a 15
percent “high level of conflict” divorce, they could feel an extra sense of bitterness and
resentment to one, or both, of their parents which may lead to more emotional distress later in
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life. Overgeneralizing these types of studies shows weakness in its main points and arguments.
It’s important to look at more than just the effect, but what led up to that effect as well.
Strengths
Although there are weaknesses to the research methods of this study, there are strengths
to it also. One of those strengths is that it incorporated an argument from the opposing side, and
accurately defended it with research from the study. This is shown when Zinsmeister says
“you’ll sometimes hear the claim that divorce doesn’t hurt children as much as conflict in a
marriage. This is not supported by the evidence. ‘For kids,’ reports Kalter, ‘the misery in an
unhappy marriage is usually less significant than the changes’ after a divorce. ‘They’d rather
their parents keep fighting and not get divorced’” (Zinsmeister, 1996, p. 154). An effective
argument is one that can strongly defend its side against the other with confidence and accuracy.
This article was able to do that on multiple occasions.
Opinion
It’s sometimes challenging to pick a side in a controversial subject when you feel as if
you have emotions invested in both sides of the issue. However, I believe that divorce really can
be harmful to children and have severe long-term effects on their personal behavior and future
relationships. I feel passionate about this subject because it’s affected my own life. Very
recently, my siblings and I found out something about our parents that turned our world upside
down. It was shocking; something we never expected would happen. Just like many other kids
who go through divorce, we thought our parents were happy and they had never eluded
otherwise. To keep the story brief, my parents were able to work through their difficulties and
are incredibly happy now. However, throughout those rough few months and even now, I’ve
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found myself viewing life differently. I feel as if I trust people less, am harder to love, and have
built up walls that are almost impossible for some people to tear down. My parents didn’t get a
divorce, but they came close enough to it that it had started to become a reality for me. I had
prepared myself for the worst and it tore me apart emotionally. I don’t know what the long-term
effects would’ve been for me and I’m grateful I don’t have to find out, but I can partially
understand what the short-term effects are like and how very real they can become. Divorce
would’ve destroyed my family when there was still hope for the future. From a religious
standpoint, I believe that everyone deserves a second chance; a chance to be forgiven of their
mistakes. We’re all imperfect, but working on imperfections together is what makes life
beautiful. It’s what makes us see each other for who we really are. With all of that said, I
believe there are times when divorce is the answer. Cases of domestic violence, sexual abuse, or
infidelity are all situations where staying married and working through problems won’t bring
anyone happiness. However, I also strongly believe that children have noticeable negative
behavioral differences when they’ve experienced a divorce.
Conclusion
It’s important for us to be able to distinguish between the strengths and weaknesses of
research studies. In doing so, we can create educated opinions based on intellectual, credible,
and reliable resources. Many studies, including the one mentioned throughout this paper, can
lose that credibility by not citing in-text information, not showing valid correlation between the
cause and effect, and overgeneralizing information when it’s important to look at the specifics.
Every study is different and needs some research methods more than others, but when the right
tactics are used, the research and studies that are found can be powerful and in some cases, lifechanging.
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References
Zinsmeister, K. (1996). Divorce’s toll on children. The American Enterprise, 7,
152-158.