Divorce or Not

Paper Summary:

This paper assesses, through the use of critical thinking skills, the dilemma of a couple who, due to marital unhappiness seek a divorce. The couple have been married for approximately seven years and they have a four-year old daughter. The paper relates that both of the parents have been in marriage counseling, and presently are living separately from one another. The paper assumes that there are no major problems in this marriage.

Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Divorce and Happiness Outcomes
Investigation of Formerly Unhappy Marriages and How These Marriages Survived
Last Considered But Certainly Not the Least among Considerations
Summary & Analysis

From the Paper:

"Research findings state that adult who were unhappily married and who divorced or separated "were not happier, on average, than unhappily married adults who stayed married." (Waite, Browning, Doherty, Gallagher, Luo and Stanley, 2002) Furthermore, findings state that divorce: "...did not reduce symptoms of depression for unhappily married adults or raise their self-esteem, or increase their sense of mastery, on average, compared to unhappy spouses who stayed married." (Waite, Browning, Doherty, Gallagher, Luo and Stanley, 2002) For the purpose of this present assessment, it is critically necessary to consider the fact that findings of research study show that: "The vast majority of divorces (74%) happened to adults who had been happily married five years previously." (Waite, Browning, Doherty, Gallagher, Luo and Stanley, 2002) Within this specific group findings state "divorce was associated with dramatic declines in happiness and psychological well-being compared to those who stayed married." (Waite, Browning, Doherty, Gallagher, Luo and Stanley, 2002) Just as important to note is the fact that findings show that: "Two out of three unhappily married adults who avoided divorce or separation ended up happily married five years later." (Waite, Browning, Doherty, Gallagher, Luo and Stanley, 2002) Additionally reported is that: "...the unhappiest marriages reported the most dramatic turnarounds. Among those who rated their marriages as very unhappy, almost eight out of ten who avoided divorce were happily married five years later."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kupelian, D. (2005) How America Can End Its Divorce Epidemic. World Net Daily 7 April 2005. http://www.stolenvows.com/epidemic.htm
• Waite, L.J.; Browning, D.; Doherty, W.J.; Gallagher, M.; Luo, Ye; and Stanley, S.(2002) Does Divorce Make People Happy? Findings from a Study of Unhappy Marriages. Institute for American Values. 2002, New York, NY http://www.americanvalues.org/UnhappyMarriages.pd
• Mize, L.K.; Nelson, K.; Sutter, E.; and Mize, M.J. (2005) Reflections on Distressed Couples Contemplating Divorce One Study of the Structured Separation Process. https://www.haworthpress.com/store/ArticleAbstract.asp?sid=P2GMMQ6MFMRL9L1W2DV2TCHUUD3N90X7&ID=61027.
• Wallerstein, Judith S.; and Lewis, Julia M. (2004) The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: Report of a 25-Year Study. Psychoanalytic Psychology 21:353-370. 2004. http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=ppsy.022.0452a

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