Reasons for Divorce and its Impacts - Coursework Example

Reasons for Divorce and its Impacts Divorce refers to a separation of a previously married couple, leaving each person to go his or her own way. People enter into marriages that may encounter many challenges. Life in some marriages can become exceedingly dangerous; staying in such a marriage is suicidal. I highly advocate for a divorce if a person is engaged in an intolerable marriage. It may be essential to seek a divorce before the situation gets out of hand. This essay will analyze the justifications that people give while seeking for a divorce. In addition, the paper will elaborate on the negative impacts that divorce has on the separated couples as well as their children. Lastly, the text will wind up with a summative conclusion that will highlight the key points contained in the text and illustrate my position on the issue of divorce. When people take marriage vows, they swear to stick by each other through joys and sorrows of life and provide a faithful companionship to each other through thick moments and thin moments. Many people, who take the vows, hope that they will live happily after their marriage. However, rates of divorce are escalating all over the world at an alarming rate (Everett, p. 57). Many married couples prefer a divorce rather than stay in a miserable marriage. People give some claims for choosing a divorce as an option to end their marriage; these claims sum up the reasons for divorce. Reasons for Divorce The first reason that people give for a divorce is that they had higher expectations from their partners. Many people report that their partners did not meet their towering expectations; as a result, they choose to move out in search of a better person (Everett, p. 58). These problems develop in the initial stages of dating and courting. The problems may result from failure to discuss the anticipations in a marriage before getting into a marriage. Such people do not attempt to solve their conflict of expectations gradually. Rather, they expect that change will occur like a one off activity. Unfortunately, the anticipated change may not occur; this precipitates the likelihood for a divorce. In other instances, a person may claim that his or her partner is unfaithful. In such a case, a person may justify the decision to divorce by quoting the scripture. Therefore, infidelity is a chief reason for the occurrence of many divorces as majority of people divorce on grounds of infidelity (Everett, p. 58). There is no exact reason that makes people cheat on their partners, but there is evidence that infidelity wrecks many marriages. For example, Princess Diana revealed that her husband’s affair with Camilla ruined her marriage. Countless women and men ruin their marriages in a similar way. Many people may decide to divorce their unfaithful partners and prefer life outside such a marriage. Further, people say that they are not compatible with their partners. There is more in a marriage than ordinary physical compatibility. Couples should have ideas and thinking patterns that fit into each other. People, who go for divorce, may claim that the marriage is intolerable since their ideas are parallel to those of their partners. Further, couples that do not recognize the feeling for each other may end up divorcing; such a union is far from perfect (Everett, p. 60). A problem of compatibility can be solved if people take time to get to know each other during dating. Dating is extremely essential in ensuring that young people get the required exposure, which will enable them to cope with marriage challenges. Further, some people say that their partners are rigid, and their tolerance is too low. Lack of flexibility results to marital differences as life brings new challenges every day; everyone should be willing to change the tactics of handling issues. Majority of married couples may overlook the significance of flexibility, which may contribute to triumphant functioning of a relationship. Other reasons that people give for a divorce tend to be contextual; this is common in India. An Indian bride is expected to bring a lot of wealth from her parents’ place to her husband’s place (Everett, p. 61). If her parents are not wealthy enough to meet the demands of the groom, then that marriage results to harassment and abuse. Eventually, the couple will result to divorce on the grounds of lack of enough dowries. Further, there are men who marry so that they can gain wealth. Such men will divorce one wife and marry another one, since each marriage brings a lot dowry to him. Some people say that their partners were not committed to the marriage, and the marriage vows. For the celebrities, marriage is something that they can walk in and out the way they wish. Commitment to a marriage is essential in nurturing marriage relationships that will endure (Everett, p. 63). Such people seek quick solutions to relational problems when they fail to get the instant solutions; they quit the marriage, without giving it another trial. People should understand that it takes time to understand a situation, and decide the best method to respond to a circumstance. There are people who seek divorce because their partners in marriage have their physical beauty. Beauty is a key reason that attracts people to each other. Eventually, people decide to settle down in a marriage. In the event that one person loses the physical beauty, the other party will be tempted to move out of that marriage (Everett, p. 63). Further, some people claim that they divorced their husbands or wives because of pressure and interference from their parents. Interferences from in-laws have broken many marriages, as parents promise their sons or daughters that they will get them something that is more appealing than their marriage (Everett, p. 65). Divorces from parental interferences are common because parents are extremely significant in marriages. Communication breakdown is another crucial reason that people give for seeking a divorce. People come together and get married because of communication; when this channel of communication fails, it means that married couples will reverse their process of coming together (Everett, p. 65). Some people assume that their husbands or wives will know the things they need without having to say them. Lack of communication can make a minor misunderstanding lead to a break up. Drug use and abuse are other crucial reasons that make people seek divorce. People who abuse drugs are more likely to be violent; they can cause physical harm to their partners. Drug users are not capable of providing for their family, especially if the husband is the one who is abusing drugs. Drugs abusers do not maintain a job, and they eventually become burdens to their spouses. More often, this results to divorce (Everett, p. 65). In some communities, barren women are divorced because they cannot conceive and give birth to children. Therefore, some people quote barrenness as another reason for breaking a marriage. It is evident that children are central in cementing the relationship of married couples; most people say that they are in a marriage only because they want children (Everett, p. 72). Some individuals claim that their partners deny them the matrimonial conjugal rights. Sex is extremely essential in consummating a marriage, and people who do not get it or do not get satisfied might choose to end their marriages (Everett, p. 72). Lack of sexual satisfaction can result from impotence, which can be treated if the partners take the right actions to fix the problem. Current literature indicates escalating rates of divorce across all the world’s cultures. New issues that fuel divorce are emerging, and many celebrities are competing to keep the world title of breaking marriages within the shortest time. People seek to register the highest number of marriages in their lifetime, hoping that they will get a place in the Guinness book of world records (Everett, p. 74). The western countries are leading in the rate of divorce cases. Impact of Divorce on Children and Teens Children suffer from emotional turmoil when their parents separate, and mostly when the process of divorce involves unending legal battles (Everett, p. 131). The eating habits of children change, and they loose academic concentration; this affects their performance. Such children have trouble in the management of their emotions, and many times, they may engage in bitter outbursts. There are situations when children experience alienation and stigma from their peers, which affects their life negatively (Everett, p. 134). Further, children face challenges as they try to readjust and adapt to the new life, if their parents remarry. Children from parents who have divorced might lack proper supervision if the custodian parent is working in a demanding profession. Such children spend most of their time locked in the house, and if they manage to escape, they may spend time roaming the neighborhood (Everett, p. 139). Behavioral problems develop in these children due to lack of supervision and guidance from their parents, on how conduct themselves. Further, such children might lack the love and affection that they are supposed to receive from their parents. Teenagers and college adolescents of divorced parents might end up in crime if their parents came to bitter ends that were settled in court (Everett, p. 135). Sometimes, marriages can end in unpleasant ways characterized by long court proceedings. Children can take violence at home to their friends and end up in fights. Further, college adolescents develop discipline issues at school and quarrel a lot with teachers; this might lead to expulsion from school (Everett, p. 135). Youngsters who cannot stay in school will automatically end up in gang crimes and criminal activities, which are likely to land them in jail or lead to their death. Young children cope fast with divorce than older children and teenagers. Teenagers from divorced parents experience problems in establishing lasting relationships from their friends of the opposite sex (Everett, p. 135). Some teenagers who do not have strong coping mechanisms result to drug abuse and alcoholism in an attempt to deal with their stress. Most of the teenagers from divorced parents are likely to divorce their spouses when they marry in the future (Everett, p. 137). Conclusion In conclusion, the rates of divorce have currently skyrocketed due to the emerging challenges in life. There are many reasons that make married couples to seek divorce, either after spending a long time together, or after a short duration. Majority of the married people may seek divorce to escape the danger of possible physical harm from their spouses or due to infidelity, among other reasons. Divorce is detrimental to children as it affects their emotional, academic and physical development and growth. Further, divorce might push teenagers in drug abuse, and hinder the development of relational competence among teenagers. I consider divorcing essential since it makes sense getting out of a stressful situation. Staying in a stressful marriage may cause medical conditions, which will be detrimental in the end. Works Cited Everett, Craig. Divorce and remarriage: international studies. London: Routledge, 1997. Print. Read More