Marriage and Family Life

Unit 8: Facing Divorce

Objective 1: Identify common factors that contribute to problems in a marriage.

• Addictions• Clashing lifestyles• Cultural differences• Disagreement about whether to have children• Disagreement about how to raise children• Financial problems and disagreements about spending

habits• Infidelity• Poor communication skills

Objective 1: Identify common factors that contribute to problems in a marriage.

• Significant age difference• Unrealistic expectations of married life• Unrealistic role expectations• Lack of:

– Appreciation– Respect– Self-esteem– Similar beliefs and values– Trust– Maturity

Objective 4: Determine what impact divorce can have on children and other family members.

• Not making feelings clear or not expressing yourself• Not listening to your partner• Ignoring and avoiding problems• Poor timing when bringing up a serious or

controversial subject• Making false assumptions or jumping to conclusions• Misinterpretation of body language or statements

Objective 3: Distinguish among responses to problems in a marriage.

• Marriage counseling • Legal separation• Annulment • Desertion• Divorce

Objective 4: Identify sources of communication problems in a marriage.

Positive• A partner may feel relief and show increased

self-esteem• Relationships with a former spouse may

improve• Children may feel relief• A divorce may provide a new beginning

Objective 4: Identify sources of communication problems in a marriage.

Negative• Relationships between former spouses may deteriorate• Visitation for non-custodial parents may cause friction

within the family• Parents may encourage the children to choose sides• Loss of status in the community may occur after a divorce• Emotional reactions can range from anger to loneliness

and severe depression• Financial distress for both partners may occur

Objective 5: Determine what impact divorce can have on careers.

• Divorce may create a need for a non-working spouse to find a paying job outside the home

• Divorce may free a non-custodial parent to put more time and energy into a career

• Divorce may put an added strain on the custodial parent

• Depression can affect some partners after a divorce• Attending court dates can also require time away

from work

Objective 6: Express views about divorce.

Objective 7: Identify potential challenges in remarriages and stepparenting.

• Emotional Challenges• Adjustment Challenges• Relationship Challenges

Objective 8: Explore personal attitudes about divorce, remarriage and stepparenting.