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.
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