POSTDECISIONAL REGRET OF DIVORCE: A SOCIAL EXCHANGE PERSPECTIVE
Abstract
Levinger's social exchange perspective of pair cohesiveness was applied to explain the postdecisional regret of divorce. The social exchange paradigm proved to be a more powerful predictor of regret than either leaver versus left or current dating or job status. Individual statements of reasons, alternatives and barriers proved to be better predictors of regret than the sum of those statements. Parental regret was independent of regret over the loss of the marriage relationship. High regret men and women cite the loss of companionship of the spouse as the most improtant factor. They opposed the divorce from the beginning and do not endorse any of the opportunities posed by singlehood. The sample consisted of 91 recently divorced persons drawn from county court records of Lafayette, Indiana.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
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