The Relational Impact of Divorce during Adolescence - Thesis Proposal Example

The Relational Impact of Divorce during Adolescence Research paper consists of the introduction, main body and conclusion. Introductory passage involves in the subject of the assignment, and provides the information about relational impact of divorce during adolescence period. After that, a clear explanation of impact of divorce on adolescent’s viewpoints and behavior is presented. Information about parents-adolescents relationships and post-divorce network goes next. How divorce impacts the adolescents life? Are these implications positive or negative? And what are the consequences? The last section includes concluding response to this problem. The method used is particularized examination of the literature together with the critical summarizing and personal inferences on the topic. Keywords: divorce, adolescents, parents. Introduction Family is considered to be the main link of social interactions between people, and essential part of people’s subsistence and functioning. Still, it is worse to mention that a big number of families betide divorce, and encounter implications connected with it, “each year, over 1 million American children suffer the divorce of their parents” (Fagan and Rector, 2000). Children remain to be the mediation link among two divorced parents, so they become principal sufferers when such hurdles in relationship occur (Fine and Harvey, 2006). Recent researches mention the fact that children’s perception of their parent’s divorce is hard, and has different implications in any age group (Pickhardt, 2014), but adolescent period regards as completely hard and complex according to this perspective. Teenagers experience important changes due to their physiological alterations and psychological transmissions. The situation may become complicated because of the problems in the family as it is the essential part of people’s life, and influence each personality during all his/her life including adolescence period. The entanglements of different nature may occur that is considered as a result of various influencing factors. The problem is relevant for the society, and need appropriate and clear solutions to make the situation better. Impact of divorce on adolescent’s viewpoints and behavior Different researches argue that our understanding of the family has changed during the last part of the century (Coleman and Hendry, 1999). Profound alterations convince that the number of divorces increases rapidly and there is a huge amount of children who grow up in single-parent family or extended family which face divorce (Kerr, 2009). Recent investigations provide a thought that adolescents may reveal three possible reactions on their parent’s divorce: positive, neutral and negative (Slee, Campbell and Spears, 2012). Still, teenagers provide a negative attitude and unpleasant consequences to the divorce of their parents basically. Guttmann argues that divorce provides long-term effects on people in adolescent period, and psychoanalytic views on this problem suggest the significance of disruptions in person’s world perception and gender roles (2008). A personal overlook is transmitted in those children, and behavioral processes undergo alterations in connection with the family breakdown. First and foremost, we should mention that the process of adolescence is interrupted with the parents’ divorce (Hudson, 2010). The matter is that teenage period is highly important for identity formation and establishing autonomy in its own perspectives. Parents’ separation may violate this process as child concentrates his/her attention on problems in the family, not on self-identification in the world and society. Due to this perspective children have to grow up quickly, and have no complete chance to enjoy their life fully and entirely. The second essential problem is that teens recognize their parents’ divorce as their fault. They accuse themselves in family decay, and may deal with a huge depression and disappointment due to these reasons (Hudson, 2010). Adolescents may occur anger at themselves, and impinge with complex behavioral and emotional problems. The next point under consideration is emotional abuse. Adolescents expose their perception of life and world to emotional misuse. Such persons deal with low self-esteem, fear to failure and high depression (Anderson, 2014). This may be connected with family conflicts that include a lot of “hated verbal arguments and even physical violence between parents” (Shaffer and Kipp, 2007). Such fact may horrify people, but it is reality, and we cannot ignore it. Moreover, a current investigation shows that adolescent’s attitude to marriage is contradictory. They are unprepared for marriage, but express a positive understanding of family as a social link. In addition, teens signify a negative perception of divorces, and recognize it as a deplorable notion (R. M. Galatzer-Levy, Kraus and J. Galatzer-Levy, 2009). In addition, parents’ divorce influences personal romantic relationship of the adolescents (Oz, 2014). It is investigated that girls suffer more complexes connected with that affair than boys. The behavioral patterns of adolescent people that experience parents’ divorce undergo changes and suggest implications to children’s conduct. Further investigations notice that such teens provide wrathful and highly critical attitude to parents’ solutions that is directed to both mother and father (Hudson, 2010). A tendency in acquiring a strong desire to spend all time with peers appears. That is more an idea to express aggression if parents intend to prevent that becomes constant (Hudson, 2010). What we may add is that such teenagers lose interest to studying and their academic results usually inferior in comparison with results which they show earlier (Hudson, 2010). Moreover, teens may deal with drug usage and early sexual contacts under the influence of family problems. On the other hand, teens may display positive behavior with the hope to save the marriage of his/her parents (Hudson, 2010). Still, such method is rarely used by teenagers, as they are impulsive and emotional in this period. That is the list of the most frequently manifested indications of adolescent behavior patters, and we may argue that divorce is not include a positive contribution in adolescents’ behavioral model. Parents-adolescents relationships and post-divorce network Interaction with parents and family network after divorce perform an essential role in adolescents’ life. Divorce regards as a painful affair not only for children, but also for parents. That is why their behavior and psychology is also replaced. That influences the relationships with their descendants and manipulates the way of communication among them. Mother-adolescent relationships in divorced families presuppose a number of conflicts connected with less monitoring of children’s activities, and more strict demand to be responsible for domestic tasks (Lerner and Steinberg, 2009). Furthermore, mothers try to use efficient discipline techniques that sometimes seem to be irrevocable and strict. That cause to high rank of conflicts and increase of animosity between parent and her offspring. Whereas father-adolescent relationships may be stable and friendly by the time when teenager recognizes the lack of communication with his/her father, and starts to involve emotional factor that includes rancor and anger (Lerner and Steinberg, 2009). To that perspective communication with father remains to be spoiled. In addition, big numbers of conflicts induce in the process of deciding the time of communication with their child. Post-divorce interactions, especially aggressive one, provide hurdles in adolescent’s life (Fisher, 1982). Conflicts between divorced parents wound teenager’s psychological response and recognition of occurred situation. Conclusion All in all, we may argue that divorce is considered to be the notion that provides a strict impact on adolescent life. The matter is that teenage period is rather important and unstable, so parents have to assure meticulous attention to their child in that time. Divorce violates the motion of teenage development, and supply the number of hurdles in their growth. Person’s behavior and world perception change with the destruction of the family. Teens may undergo depression and angry behavior in attitude to their parents; also they search for advice in their peers and not sure in personal romantic relationships. That is why we may conclude that divorce apprehends negative impact on adolescent’s life. Reference List: Anderson, R.A. (2014). Emotionally Abusive Marriage vs. Divorce and the Effects on Children. GlobalPost. Coleman, J.C. and Hendr, L.B. (1999). The Nature of Adolescence. USA: Psychology Press. Fagan, P. F. and Rector, R. (Jun 5, 2000). THE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON AMERICA. The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002-4999 (202) 546-4400 Fine, M. A. and Harvey, J. H. (2006) Handbook of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution.USA: Psychology Press. Fisher, E. O. (1982). Impact of Divorce on the Extended Family. USA: Psychology Press. Galatzer-Levy, R.M., Kraus, L. and Galatzer-Levy, J. (2009). The Scientific Basis of Child Custody Decisions. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Guttmann, J. (2008). Divorce in Psychosocial Perspective: Theory and Research. USA: Psychology Press. Hudson, Ch. (2010). The Impacts of Divorce on Teenagers. Understanding Teenagers. Kerr, Ch. L. (2009). Male Adolescents of Divorce: The Relationship with Their Noncustodial Father. USA: ProQuest LLC. Lerner, R. M. and Steinberg, L. (2009). Handbook of Adolescent Psychology, Contextual Influences on Adolescent Psychology. Volume 2: Contextual Influences on Adolescent Development. USA: John Wiley & Sons. Oz, Sh. (2014). How Divorce Affects Teens Psychologically & Emotionally. GlobalPost. Pickhard, C. (April 28, 2014). Surviving (Your Childs) Adolescence. Psychology Today. Slee, Ph. T. and Campbell, M. and Spears B. (2012) Child, Adolescent and Family Development. UK: Cambridge University Press. Shaffer,D. and Kipp, K. (2007). Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence. USA: Cengage Learning. Read More