Divorce, remarriage, stepfamilies - Speech or Presentation Example

Divorce, Remarriage, or Stepfamilies Intended audience/who would benefit from this book The book’s target audience includes researchers and graduate students from disciplines related to the issues of divorce and dissolution of relationships. Some of the related fields of studies that relate to the book include nursing, child development, family studies, sociology, communication, anthropology, and psychology. Therefore, researchers and graduate students from the related fields of studies can stand to benefit from the book.

The target audience also includes policy makers, advanced undergraduates, and practitioners who deal with the issues of divorce and dissolution. An overview of the book reveals that the book contains the contributions of the best scholars in the field of family and consumer science. In the preface section of the book, Munroe (2003) note that they asked the contributing scholars to address specific issues related to process, nonmarital affairs, and diversity in their chapters. Luckily, all of the contributing scholars managed to make the specific contributions.

They shared their latest works and theoretical insights and this is what makes the book such an important resource for the target audiences. Key theories and ideas Generally, the book addresses the issues of divorce and dissolution of relationships. The authors have gone ahead to explain the general discussion of the book using a number of theories or models that they have highlighted in the various chapters of the book. Some of the key theories include the behavioral, cognitive, cognitive-behavioral, cognitive-developmental, ecological, and feminist theories (Munroe, 2003).

The book also highlights a number of key ideas including coping and stress, family systems, social penetration, stress-related growth, deinstitutionalization of marriage, gender, coping with loss, risk and resilience, and disaffection (Munroe, 2003). Models discussed in the book include disillusionment model of dissolution, relational deterioration model, stage models, and perpetual problems model of dissolution (Munroe, 2003). The authors have used a variety of theories, models, and ideas because there are different perspectives on divorce and relationship dissolution.

This has helped in the development of the authors’ knowledge base when writing the book. The use of a variety of theories, models, and ideas is helpful to users who may be having new research questions because they offer creative and innovative solutions to such questions. Most of the contributing scholars have developed integrative theories, models, and ideas for the purposes of greater clarity and integration in their various topics of discussion (Munroe, 2003). Ties to course topics The book ties its discussion to the course topics by addressing two central themes related to family science including variability and diversity, and complexity.

The text records the number of cases of reported divorces and dissolution of marriages, and makes comparisons across different races and geographical areas. For instance, the book records the various cultural change factors that take place after divorce and relationship dissolution. Complexity has been used to describe the reasons for the occurrence of divorce and dissolution of relationships. Generally, the book addresses the topic of divorce and relationship which is a major topic in family and consumer science.

Strengths and Weaknesses The book has a number of strengths as well as weaknesses. The book’s main strength is the use of diverse theories, models, and ideas. The use of many different models and theories has enabled the authors to come up with a wide knowledge base because they complement each other. The other strength is that the book addresses different perspectives to one topic and this enables researchers to answer new research questions. This is because the use of many different theoretical perspectives and models results in the development of creative and innovative solutions to such problems.

The book is also comprehensive enough to enhance the topic of study (Munroe, 2003). The book’s weakness is that the use of many different theories and limits the authors from forming a singular perspective of the topic of discussion. This is because it is difficult to integrate the different ideas presented by the theories and models discussed in the book (Munroe, 2003). The use of different theories also presents different definitions of the various constructs of divorce and marriage dissolution.

Ways the text addresses individual or family risk and resilience The book’s main topic of discussion relates to single, married, separated and life after divorce. However, one question that remains to be answered is “If relationship dissolution occurs, how do partners and children best adapt to the situation?” The book lists a number of approaches to resilience especially related to circumstances involving children. The book lists the use mediation, educational interventions, and the use of laws on divorce as some of the approaches that can be used to achieve resilience.

The book advocates for the use of collaborative divorces involving a third party couching couples towards mutually favorable outcomes. The third parties may include lawyers, therapists or even the clergy (Munroe, 2003). References Munroe, M. (2003). Single, Married, Separated & Life After Divorce. New York: Destiny Image Publishers.