Social Institution Paper

Divorce

Problem Statement

Divorce in families can get explained as the termination of marriage for reasons that vary with the wedding. Many communities never support divorcing because it gets viewed as disorganization of the society. The contemporary society witnesses many cases of this social vice even when the society condones it. Divorce in families with children presents a lot of challenges to children. Therefore, this topic is imperative in promoting the demand for ordinary social life and full parenting to children.

Literature Review

Causes of Divorce in Families

Marital infidelity, as well as unfaithful that is persistent, contributes to marriage termination. Violence, as well as physical abuse among couples, can also lead to marriage separation (Emery, 1999). Marriages with constant abuse and wife battering are dangerous to couples, and this can attract and dictated the dissolution of the wedding.

Mental diseases in the marriage characterized by intense psychiatric conditions pose many risks to partners and children. In case the disorder is beyond control, the marriage can get dissolved for the security of the healthy ones. The strong personality causes harmful effects to other partner and children (Emery, 1999).

Divorce can be conventionally accepted in the society if a couple uses hard drugs that pose a security risk to the partner.drugs like bhang can lead to violence as well as risky behavior that can lead to assault and even raping children. Use of drugs promotes mistreatment of family members. Issues of controlling partners in marriage also factor divorce. This issue encompasses efforts to manage finances and spousal peers by use of force and disrespect can also lead to separation (Emery, 1999). Inability to work together concerning couple earnings tears marriages apart. Many learned ladies assert that the money they earn belongs to them while those made by the husband are for the whole family. Such marriage conditions promote divorce.

Impacts of Divorce on Children

Children are usually the primary recipients of negative effects of divorce. The lives often change negatively in the upbringing (Emery, 1999). Though most are usually young and unable to comprehend the effects, the later life usually presents the challenges didn't. Children from divorced families usually get their academic performance negatively affected. The psychological pain from their parent conditions makes it difficult for them to concentrate on studies (Bright, Dignam & Kendrick, et al.). These children also lack full parental supervision that is critical in child development. Children can experience dropped standard of living when left with the economically unstable parent. Divorced children are also vulnerable to dropping out of school and engaging in deviance behavior. Emotional trauma from lacking full loving presence also haunts children from divorced families.

Divorce Effects on Spouses

The social status of divorced individuals drops in many societies especially those that view divorce as irresponsibility as well as shame (Bright, Dignam & Kendrick, et al.). Divorce also presents adverse effects among couples. Emotional, as well as psychological pain from the divorce, can easily lead to heart attacks. Other divorced couples end up in drug abuse in search of comfort from negative divorce experiences. Children also end up hating the parent who they associate with the problem. Children end up forming alliances with parents they stay with and hates the other parent. Living standards also drops on some couples, especially if living depended greatly on combined efforts. This situation is characterized by the inability to meet basic needs (Bright, Dignam & Kendrick, et al.). Peers intimidations emanating from divorce is also a problem facing divorced individuals. This situation involves getting love at and even rejections. The effect of such situation if escalates lead to emotional pain. Doubling of responsibility is also an effect whereby the divorced need to adjust to handle the responsibilities that were done by the partner.

Conflict Theory in Divorce

Conflict theory asserts that people strains in the effort to reconcile the conflicting while living. Conflict theory similarly characterizes the divorce situation. Divorce proceedings usually reflect the conflict theory situations. Couples negotiate and discuss allocation of assets among them. On the other hand, divorce presents aggressiveness and use of appeasement of coercing one another. Divorce takes the four steps of conflict theory (Bartos & Wehr, 2002). These four stages are; Prior Conditions phase that presents issues that dictate divorce. The conflicting issues are usually infidelity, misuse of finances, violence and inability to give up uncombined views in the marriage. The awareness or frustrations stage is the second one, and it presents dissatisfactions and stress among couples (Bartos & Wehr, 2002).

The Intense conflict is the third phase that shows complete misunderstanding among married couples. The stage is also the Accommodation stage characterized with couples trying to solve their conflicts. The scene gives each couple trying to win. This process shows the use of force and violence. Finally, we have the Aftermath, which shows growing of grudges among the spouses opening room to set the rules for divorce. The conflict theory explanation reflects divorce in families because divorce comes from conflicts that conflict theory explains in stages.

Conclusion

In conclusion, divorce leads to domestic instability and dysfunction. It makes children undergo stressful life while coping with it. Decisions to divorce must consider the interests of children and their development. If situation forces for it, continued and full support to children must be observed to make children grow normally. Whether valid or wrong reason to divorce, the decision needs to get taken as a last resort. Society should, therefore, reorganize its social functionality to eliminate separation among its members.

References

Bartos, O. J., & Wehr, P. E. (2002): Using conflict theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bright, C., Dignam, J., Kendrick, G., Moore, A., Merker, M., Clarke-Stewart, L. A., Tower, C. C., Concept Media, Inc. (2000): Effects of divorce. Irvine, CA: Concept Media.

Emery, R. E. (1999): Marriage, divorce & children's adjustment. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in assignment writing services if you need a similar paper you can place your order from essay writing services.