Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage or termination of a mutual union by canceling the legal ties by ending the matrimonial bonds of a married couple either by a court of law or by any other authorized competent body. There some known reasons why most people divorce, including infidelity, marrying at a young age, lack of commitment, too much arguing, and high expectations, among other issues. However, some of these concerns can be adjusted to prevent separation. Divorce is not easy for the parties involved, and it negatively affects the couple, the children, and the society. Therefore, to understand the negative effects of divorce on the families, it is imperative to discuss the negative effects attached to divorce.
According to Norton, divorce has damaging impacts on the family. It has both short and long-term negative effects on every individual involved. There have been arguments whether an annulment is the best solution, but in families where there are constant aggression and violence, it is the best way out (1). However, the truth is that divorce has adverse effects on the spouses, the children, especially teenagers, society, and the extended family. The individuals involved in a divorce usually suffer since the process is related to humiliation, confrontations, misunderstandings, and other undesirable effects. However, the separated couples become happy in some situations, and everyone in the family is relieved. Nevertheless, such circumstances in many cases are rare (Norton, 1). Therefore, it is evident that the effects of divorce on families are negative and destructive as compared to the positive outcomes.
In most divorces, the people who are negatively impacted by the divorce are the children. Norton states that divorce brings major changes to the lives of the children, and most of these deviations are sadness, loneliness, stress, and nervousness. For these reasons, children may dissent against these conditions through strange behaviors such as withdrawal from school, failure in class, and other erratic behaviors (1). When the children first learn about their parents’ separation, they resort to denial, confusion, fear, which leads to anger, depression, or suicidal thoughts. However, as the emotional stress decreases with time, the children learn to deal with the situation. On the other hand, long-term effects, such as tension, misunderstandings, and fears, might affect the children psychologically.
The other groups of people in the family who are usually affected by the separation are the parents. In fact, the misunderstandings and fights amongst the parents begin way before the divorce, making the life of the man and his wife awful. In most cases, major issues such as alcoholism, drug dependence, or infidelity are some of the leading causes of divorces. Nevertheless, there are situations where both parties feel that they cannot live with one another anymore or simply do not get along well with one another, resulting in divorce. In this case, separation results in major psychological problems such as depression, sleeplessness, worry, and anger. Some people may drink heavily, indulge in drugs, smoke, and overreact on minor issues (Fine and Fincham 271). Additionally, after the dissolution of the marriage, the couple involved may not work effectively, thus, delivering poor results in their jobs. As such, the parties involved may lose their jobs, and in some cases, most of them may need medical assistance to avoid further damage to themselves and the society.
Finally, the separation of parents is usually connected to the social and economic situation of the family. In an instance of divorce, the wife or the husband leaves their matrimonial home, thus resulting in a single-parent family. Hence, the wife or the husband acquires new social status. In most cases, an annulment affects the economic situation of the family since, at first, both parents were working and helping each other in raising their children; therefore, after divorce one parent might be responsible for catering for all the family needs, a situation that may affect their finances (Ackerman 56). As a result, the family may be forced to move to a smaller house or apartment in a poorer region, and the children may be forced to attend inferior schools. Finally, the parents must give up on some of the extra-curricular undertakings to create more time with their children.
In conclusion, it is evident that divorces are related to various emotional and psychological problems to both parents and children. It is imperative to state that divorce is one of the most common problems society faces today. From the discussion above, it is clear that some of the issues that lead to divorce and the most common ones are alcoholism, misunderstandings, and infidelity, among other problems. However, these difficulties can be avoided to prevent the divorce from occurring. The involved parties may try to talk to a counselor to resolve their issues. In addition, it is significant for couples to have long-term commitments in their marriage, avoiding breaking a marriage over minor issues. Finally, it is palpable that divorces affect not only a single household but also the society and the family’s economic status.
Works Cited
Ackerman, Marc . Clinician’s Guide to Child Custody Evaluations. John Wiley and Sons, 2006.
Eric Norton. “The Effects Of Divorce On Children and Families.” Center for Community Health Partnerships, 2009, www.columbiacchp.org/2009/04/effects-of-divorce-on-chidren-and.html. Accessed 11 Nov 2016.
Mark Fine and Frank Fincham. Handbook of Family Theories. Routledge, 2013.