Rhetorical Analysis Divorce

Divorce is one of many controversial subjects in family and human development research. What inspired me to critically analyze the article “Does Divorce Create Long-Term Negative Effects for Children?” is the challenge it would be for me to put my bias aside considering I am from a divorced home. After reading the article and analyzing it over and over, I can’t help but think that the writer answering “YES” to this controversial question overlooked many variables and over generalized his findings and research. With Zinsmeister overgeneralizing his research, not considering enough alternate explanations for long-term negative effects divorce, and his lack of relevant information needed to assess reliability and validity are why I find this article to be insightful but not accurate and hope to show why.

Janet Shansky of Iona college wrote this intellectual article about some major theories within divorced families. These theories have the potential to explain the connection between parental divorce and negative outcomes for the children. These include, but are not limited to, the "marital disruption" theory, the "reduced resources" theory, and the "parental conflict" theory. Shansky takes a deep look at all of the research that went into these theories and how they explain the adverse effects of divorce on children. Another aspect of her article is how these significant theories can be put to use in intervening future students and children from having such a hard time with this major change in their life.

Divorce is a heavy concept that has many implications for those involved. The situation becomes even more consequential when children are considered. As divorce has become more commonplace in society, millions of children are affected by the separation of the nuclear family. How far-reaching are these effects? And is there a time when divorce is beneficial to the lives of the children? This paper will examine some of the major research and several different perspectives regarding the outcomes of divorce for the children involved, and whether it can actually be in the best interest of the kids.

The rapid epidemic of divorce in the United States within the last 20 years has affected more than one half of the families in the United States. In the past, we have viewed divorce as a short term crisis and not as a longitudinal view of the effects divorce might bring. Divorce does affect children. However, it is not the divorce that is the problem; it is the ongoing conflict between the parents and the child’s coping mechanisms in their own stages of development. Counseling, family therapy, and also having a divorce mediation are all successful ways of coping with the family.

A comprehensive review of research from several disciplines regarding long-term effects of divorce on children yields a growing consensus that significant numbers of children suffer for many years from psychological and social difficulties associated with continuing and/or new stresses within the post divorce family and experience heightened anxiety in forming enduring attachments at later developmental stages including young adulthood. Different conceptual models in the field are explicated. Major lacunac in research, particularly around issues of public policy, are identified. The critical importance of expanding clinical research to enhance understanding of the child's perspective and experience is proposed.

According to the Encyclopedia of Psychology, one half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce. With these one million children are affected each year. Eighty five percent of these children live in single parent households, with the mother being the head of the house. The father is usually distant or does not speak to the children at all. These children are highly affected and experience a great deal of emotional and academic problems. Especially when you compare them to children with non-divorced parents. During adolescence, these children have twice as high as a rate of dropping out of high school, having teenage pregnancy, and experiencing deliquiate behavior. I am not a child of divorce, but a child dear to me is. I have seen firsthand the emotional tear that it can play into a child’s life, and the way it affects a family. Divorce may cause children to grow up anxious and scared. Children may even ask themselves “why me?”, “what can I do?”, and “where should I go from here?”.

For couples with children divorce can wreak havoc on family relations. The behavior of children can change rapidly, in Cherlin (1993) it has been stated that, “children whose parents separated or divorced displayed more behavior problems and performed more poorly in school than children whose parents remained married” (para. 3). It is important to note that each child is affected differently and relationships with parents will not always be bitter (Cherlin, 1993). The personal source is a friend of many years whose parents divorced when she was very young. Her brother was also very young at the time of the divorce; each of them as male and female reacted differently to the divorce, just as it has been seen in many studies (Alex Pringle, Personal Communication, May 10,

Through the emotional, spiritual, and psychological effects children experience during a divorce, spiritual distress and uncertainty, fears of commitment and abandonment, and disassociation from relationships manifest themselves in these children. Approximately one million children experience a parental divorce every year (Warner et al), experiencing a variety of positive and negative consequences. Since divorce causes the couples’ pain, they may become absorbed with their own problems, though they continue to be the most significant characters in their children’s lives (“Divorce and Children”). Through the lens of divorce, the journey of maturity acquires a distinct difference in experiences.

This paper will present an overview of the impact of divorce on children and some of the ways that are intended to help children of divorce to successfully function in society. The impact of divorce on children takes many different forms. From mental and physical health concerns to financial instability, children suffer the most in the divorce situation. When a couple, who have children, divorces it affects the whole family. Children of divorced parents experience school and social related problems. Their routines are disrupted and they feel disconnected from one or the other parent. Custodial arrangements are another factor of impact for the children. This causes emotional stress and

Children of divorce are far more likely to experience psychological difficulties, and these difficulties are likely to carry into adulthood. These children are faced with high rates of depression and anxiety, low self-esteem, and less satisfaction within their daily lives. In the novel “For Better Or for Worse”, expert of family dynamics Mavis Hetherington, reveals that “[t]wenty-five percent of youths from divorced families in comparison to 10 percent from non-divorced families did have serious social, emotional, or psychological problems.” They will also require more frequent use of mental health services than those with intact families. In the American Journal of Family Law, Doctor Sandford Portnoy investigates the psychological effects divorce has on offspring. “Girls from divorced families have, in some cases, been found to be significantly more depressed than girls from intact families, while boys are more hopeless and discouraged as the level of family distress increases.” These psychological difficulties will then accompany them into their adult relationships, where they will struggle with marital instability, satisfaction, conflict, and

In the United States alone, hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of families are affected by divorce each year. Divorce is a high-stress process which may affect parent’s abilities to provide for their children. Whether there is lack of support emotionally, mentally, financially, or physically; a child can be very critically damaged. A child is continuously developing mentally, emotionally, and academically. There are different stages of adolescence that cause different ages of children to react to divorce in several ways. Children put in these situations have higher risk of suffering academically, mentally, and emotionally. Issues relating to divorce can follow the effected party in to adulthood. They show different forms of behavioral change. The needs for every child can be met through simple changes in lifestyle if the persons involved educate themselves.

In the Scientific American’s article “Is Divorce Bad for Children?” authors Hal Arkowitz and Scott Lilienfield discuss the short-term and long-term effects divorce has on a child’s well-being. The popular media article claims that children generally suffer negatively in the immediate aftermath of the separation but in the long run have few psychological differences from children of married parents as long as they continue to grow up in a stable environment. Short-term effects of divorce by examined by looking at the naturalistic observation of the University of Virginia. The study looks at children immediately post-divorce and see negative emotions like shock, anger, and confusion. However, the study also shows that these effects usually disappears

In this paper, I will focus on the different ways in which divorce can affect children both socially and mentally. I will discuss how divorce is a process as well as an alternative developmental path that can lead to different outcomes for different children. The questions I will attempt to answer using methods such as focus groups and surveys are: How does divorce affect children overall? What are the factors that contribute to the well-being of children after divorce?

Wallerstein concluded in her study that divorce is a devastating event for adults and children and divorce experience is a continuum that begins in an unhappy home and extends through the formal divorce. Thus, its effects are long-lasting and children are affected because divorce happens during their formative years. The separation of their parents inculcate in their their inner world a certain view of themselves and society.

Unfortunately divorce is at an all-time high around the world today and there aren’t any signs of it slowing. Numerous amount of stress can stem from divorce, not only for the couple involved but for the child or children involved as well. This paper reflects on the many different effects that divorce can have on children ages eighteen and under in the United States, as well as other countries. In comparison, studies show that there is usually an emotional disconnect involving children of divorced parents or ones whom have begun the long strenuous process. The emotional disconnect can cause children to act different in more