THE TRANSITION TO DIVORCE: DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN HUSBANDS AND WIVES
Abstract
The present study focuses on the time period before legal divorce and the unique accounts of spouses as each reports his or her experience. Phenomenological sociology provides the general theoretical framework, and the Divorce Spiral Model was developed as a synthesis of existing social psychological theory of the divorce process. Particular attention was given to Levinger's theory of attractions, barriers, and alternative attractions. The Marital History Questionnaire was designed as an empirical index of individual and couple experience in the transition to divorce. The instrument covers four themes: reasons for divorce, the decision-making process, the emotional process, and communication patterns. The major hypothesis was: "Within any marriage there will be discrepancies between the spouses' biographies of the transition to divorce." Minor hypotheses dealt with discrepancies due to demographic differences and discrepancies in the accounts of "the leaver" and "the left." Other related questions had to do with counseling, family of origin, emotional stages, and changes in decision-making patterns. The sample consisted of seventy-five couples who had recently filed for divorce. The respondents were given the Marital History Questionnaire and the Family Information Measure, a questionnaire that requested demographic and other descriptive information about the respondents. Both the husband and the wife filled out individual questionnaires without conferring with one another. The data confirmed the hypotheses and provided answers to the other related questions. The findings show that couples vary in all areas of the divorce experience and that some couples differ more than others. There was greatest discrepancy on the emotions theme, and communication was the least discrepant area. Other findings included significant differences between "leavers" and "lefts" and between men and women. In addition to drawing attention to the importance of considering the perspective of both spouses in the study of the divorce process, the present study also presents evidence that refutes many of the myths about divorce that are currently held by many people in our society. The findings show that divorce is not a uniformly experienced event, but a process with many dimensions, and the interpretation of the transition is based on each individual's unique sense of reality.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Families & family life|Personal relationships|Sociology
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