Chapter 14
Divorce and Remarriage
Macro Factors Contributing to Divorce
• Divorce: the termination of a valid marriage
contract
• Divorce occurs more frequently today than in
the earlier days of the U.S. due to various
structural and cultural factors.
Macro Factors
• Changing family functions and structure
• Liberal divorce laws
– No-fault divorce: a divorce in which neither party
is identified as the guilty party or the cause of the
divorce
• Prenuptial agreements
• Fewer moral and religious sanctions
Macro Factors
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More divorce models
Mobility and anonymity
Social class, ethnicity, and culture
Educated white Americans are the least likely
to divorce
Micro Factors Contributing to Divorce
• Micro factors are individual factors that are
predictive of divorce.
• More likely to be seen as the cause of the
divorce
Micro Factors
• Falling out of love
• Not spending enough time together
• Decreasing positive behaviors: compliments,
physical affection
• Having an affair
• Poor conflict resolution skills
• Changing values
Micro Factors
• Satiation: habituation, the state in which a
stimulus loses its value with repeated
exposure
• Believing life will be better if divorced
Ending Relationship
• Psychological functioning and happiness of
spouses going through a divorce improve after
the divorce.
• Data are mixed on whether remaining
unhappily married or getting divorced and
remarried has a more positive outcome for
the spouses.
Gender Differences in Filing for
Divorce
• Women are the first to seek help when there
is trouble in the relationship.
• Women are likely to feel a renewed sense of
self-identity.
• Men are concerned about separation from
their children.
Consequences for Spouses Who
Divorce
• The spouse who did not instigate the divorce
is more vulnerable to depression.
• Women fare better emotionally after a
divorce.
• Men are likely to date and remarry sooner.
• Relationships with extended family change.
• Spouses recover sooner if they find new
interests.
Consequences
• Both women and men
experience a drop in
income.
• Women tend to suffer
more financially.
• Over half of custodial
mothers are awarded
child support but most
find the amount
inadequate.
Consequences
• Divorced mothers serve as gatekeepers for the
relationship children have with the father.
• A father’s relationship with a daughter is
usually more damaged than his relationship
with a son.
• Shared parenting dysfunction: refers to the
set of behaviors on the part of each parent
that are focused on hurting the other spouse
Consequences
• Parental alienation syndrome: a disturbance
in which children are obsessively preoccupied
with deprecation or criticism of a parent
• Parental alienation: an alliance between a
parent and a child that isolates the other
parent
Effects of Divorce on Children
• Benefits of divorce for children
– Better than living in high-conflict home
– Learn resilience
– Receive more attention
• Negative outcomes of divorce for children
– Less marital satisfaction
– Poorer communication skills
– Poorer parent-child relationships
Effects on Children
• The primary factor that
determines the effect of
divorce on children is the
degree to which the
divorcing parents are
civil or adversarial.
• Legal and physical
custody arrangements
are also important.
Effects on Children
• Legal custody: decisional authority over major
issues involving the child
• Physical custody: visitation, distribution of
parenting time following divorce
• Judges in all states are bound by the “best
interests of the child.”
Prerequisites for Having a Successful
Divorce
• Mediate rather than litigate the divorce.
– Divorce mediation: process in which divorcing parties
make agreements with a third party about custody,
visitation, child support, and property.
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Coparent with your ex-spouse.
Take some responsibility for the divorce.
Learn from the divorce.
Create positive thoughts.
Avoid alcohol and other drugs.
Relax and exercise.
Successful Divorce
• Let go of anger and have fun.
• Continue interpersonal connections.
• Allow time to heal.
Successful Divorce
Psychological stages of divorce
• Denial
• Depression
• Anger or ambivalence
• New lifestyle and identity
• Acceptance and integration
Stepfamilies
• Blended family: a family in which new
spouses have children from previous
relationships
• Binuclear family: a family that spans two
households
• Stepfamily: a family in which partners bring
children from previous relationships into the
new home
Stepfamilies
Unique aspects of stepfamilies:
• Children are biologically related to only one
parent.
• Stepfamily members have experienced loss.
• Stepfamily members are connected to others
outside their family unit.
• Children may have two homes.
• Stepfamilies have reduced disposable income.
Stepfamilies
Unique aspects of stepfamilies
• Step families are stigmatized by stepism: the
assumption that stepfamilies are inferior.
• Married couples begin their marriage with
children in the home.
• The law usually recognizes children of the first
family.