Trauma Essay

1741 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of parental divorce on children

Relationships hold people together but when they break they cause emotional turmoil. Divorce is cited as the most prevalent cause of trauma in the contemporary society. It is a life experience that causes trauma at intensities that only few other life experiences are able to yet it is not among the most frequently treated. Personal and emotional trauma linked to divorce determines how individuals in the society cope after they have undergone divorce. In cases of trauma caused by divorce, it involves the children and the breaking up spouses (Clarke-Stewart & Brentano, 2008).
When a relationship is at the last stages of its lifespan which would lead to a divorce, one partner has always made a decision to end the relationship because it is no longer working for them. This is the partner who is least affected by the divorce process because in most cases they always have settled for alternative relationships. It is rare for both partners in a relationship to come to the same realization that they need to divorce. Personal trauma is caused by self doubt and perception of failure which in turn develops into emotional trauma which incorporates depression, low self esteem and stress. Women are perceived to however adjust faster to emotional trauma than men. This is because men have a long way to adjust because they are confronted with loss of intimacy, social connection, interruption of parental roles, and reduced finances (Clarke-Stewart & Brentano, 2008).
According to Clarke-Stewart and Brentano (2008), psychiatrists and psychologists, in an attempt to create an understanding on what causes divorce in the society, disputed the explanations fronted by religious groups and sociologists. They suggested that divorce was neither caused by im...

... middle of paper ...

...rocedures which violate role boundaries and exceed the limit of their competencies in suggesting their opinions. It is therefore important for psychologists to act within the mandate provided for and give the most competent opinion possible with regard to child custody cases (Greenberg et al., 2004).
Conclusion
Relationship breakups lead to divorce in marriages, which in turn introduce distress in the environment. Traumas are distressing emotional experiences which individuals cannot efficiently and effectively cope with. Multicultural and diversity issues present in the modern society increase the rates of divorce and also influence the methods of treatment by psychologists. Psychologists need to adapt to high professional standards in handling child custody cases as their opinions play an important part in determining the welfare of the child and family involved.

Show More
Related

  • How Does Divorce Impact the Emotional Development in a Family Unit?

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divorce connects with the family stress theory where as stress plays a major role in the separation between the spouses and the relationships between the children. Individuals who go through a divorce can be very stressed out because it is known that divorce is one of the most stressful situations a family can go through where they have to worry and stress over a lot of stuff (Smith, 2009). When going through divorce families lose their spouses, parents, and confidante within their selves, as they are often the primary caregivers of their children. When going through the process of a divorce the family goes through a time where they have severe and mixed emotions which are made more difficult by the stresses and worries of legal and financial problems and also custody battles (Smith, 2009). Divorce has a major negative effect on the parents as well as they have to support and counsel their children who may be involved in the process and are suffering too. Families who are going through a divorce or a parental divorce if it is the spouses or the children are going to experience series of emotional stages due to the post-breakdown (Smith, 2009). Stress from divorce can lead from anger and depression to fear and frustration. Also, families who are coping and managing all the tasks associated with divorce can also lead to anxiety, panic, and depression. The spouses who are straightly involved in the divorce experience different ranges of emotions as they being adults direct the daily tasks and responsibilities of living under the circumstances of a divorce (Smith, 2009). Due to the divorce the required rearrangement of the family especially if children are involved will affect every aspect of the daily...

    Read More

  • The High Divorce Rate in the United States

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marriage is a commitment that seems to be getting harder to keep. The social standards placed on an individual by society and influenced by the media inevitably lead some to consider divorce as a “quick-fix” option. “Have it your way” has become a motto in the United States. It has become a country without any consideration of the psychological effects of marriage and divorce. The overwhelmingly high divorce rate is caused by a lack of moral beliefs and marital expectations.

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects Of Divorce On The Family

    1671 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many Americans would be shock to learn that “in America, there is one divorce approximately every 36 seconds. That’s nearly 2,400 divorces per day, 16,800 divorces per week and 876000 divorces a year” (32 Shocking). Divorce causes many negative effects and has become too accepted in society. Children and parents are affected physically through the divorce process. There are psychological effects for the members of the family that are involved. The negative impacts on the family’s future life should be taken into consideration.

    Read More

  • Divorce and Its Effect On Children

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wallerstein, J. S., & Lewis, J. M. (2004). The unexpected legacy of divorce: Report of a 25-year study. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 21(3), 353-370.

    Read More

  • Effect of Divorce on Children: What About The Kids? by Judith S. Wallerstein and Sandra Blakeslee

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    While divorce gives parents a novel opportunity to begin a new life, it leads to an unfortunate twist in lifestyle for the children. In “What About The Kids? Raising Your Children Before, During, and After Divorce” Judith S. Wallerstein, Ph.D., a psychologist who spent 25 years of her life studying the effects of divorce on children, and Sandra Blakeslee, a scientist writer who has spent nearly all of her profession writing for New York Times, wrote, “Each decision to divorce begins a long journey that holds surprising, unexpected turns.”. Divorce leads to many unforeseen negative consequences for the children involved. Some frequent symptoms such as, anxiety, depression, guilt and grief emerge in the children’s behavior.

    Read More

  • Effects of Divorce on a Child

    1448 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divorce is a very common word in today's society. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, "divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage or a complete or radical severance of closely connected things"(Pickett, 2000). This dissolution of marriage has increased very rapidly in the past fifty years. In 1950 the ratio of divorce to marriage was one in every four; in 1977 that statistic became one in two. Currently one in every two first marriages results in divorce. In second marriages that figure is considerably higher, with a 67% average (National Vital Statistics Report, 2001). One critical aspect of divorce is often not taken into consideration: How it affects children. Every year 1.1 million children are affected by divorce (Benjamin, 2000). Children from divorce or separation often exhibit behavioral and long-term adjustment problems (Kelly, 2000). Throughout this paper I will discuss divorces effects on children at different age levels, how they react, and what can be done to help them.

    Read More

  • Example Of Structural Family Therapy

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    Divorce is and has become a major issue in our society, the reason for that has been attributed to the drastic increase in divorce rates over the years. The most commonly reported major contributors to divorce were lack of commitment, infidelity, and conflict/arguing. The most common “final straw” reasons were infidelity, domestic violence, and substance use (Scott, Rhoades, Stanley, Allen, & Markman, 2013). Divorce often disrupts the flow of the family structure, increases discord, and affects how family issues are handled. Families dealing with divorce are often times in a state of complete confusion and disorder, and filled with frustration, anger, and pain. Power struggles between spouses, which often times spread to the children if there

    Read More

  • The Reality of Divorce in American Society

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    As with most life transitions, divorce can be liberating, depressing, frustrating, or traumatic to any person who experiences it. Perhaps the most painful part on the process of divorce is when the children get involved and when they all get trapped in the situation. These children may suffer significant losses in their lives and unless the situation can be handled in a civil manner, they will become prone to the psychological torment that could affect them for the rest of their lives. The issue of divorce however is becoming more and more intense since for the past ten years the divorce rate in the United States has skyrocketed to a record high of almost fifty- percent. It is also believed that the divorce rate in the United States is the highest in the world and the reason for this are primarily the ever-changing role of the husbands and wives in their household, early marriage, infidelity, extra marital affairs, domestic violence, financial instability and psychological incapacity.

    Read More

  • Effects of Divorce on Children Today

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Divorce and its effects on children are common issues that are on the rise in the world today. Divorce affects more than just the married couple. Children often bear the brunt of divorce, which makes divorce a complicated decision for most parents. Understanding the effects divorce has on a child is important to know exactly why a child acts a certain way. A divorce can affect a child psychologically, intellectually, and even behaviorally. Children can suffer physiologically from things like depression, intellectually by having trouble in school and behaviorally by having trouble in social settings. Legally, a divorce is a single event, but from a psychological standpoint, it is a complicated, multilevel issue. Things like identity confusion, depression, and anxiety are all areas of psychological concern this paper will address. Through this explanation, I will demonstrate the harmful effects divorce has on children.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Divorce on Children's Mental Health

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Considering that over 45 percent of marriages today end in divorce, it is crucial to understand recent research regarding the positive and negative effects of divorce on children’s mental health. Studies have shown that although children of broken homes generally have more adjustment difficulties than children of intact families, the distinction between these two groups appears to be much less significant than previously assumed (1). In the case of parental separation, studies suggest that children undergo a decline in the standard of living, exhibit poorer academic performance, engage in increased alcohol/ substance abuse, as well as experience diminishing rates of employment. However, underlying factors must be taken into consideration when assessing the long-term consequence of divorce on children, which happens to be resiliency rather than dysfunction (1). These key contextual factors that influence post-divorce adjustment include parenting styles, custody arrangements, age of the child, financial stability, and most importantly, the nature and magnitude of parental conflict. Persistent, unsettled conflict or violence is linked to greater emotional anxiety and psychological maladjustment in children, whereas negative symptoms like fear and insecurity are reduced when parents resolve their conflicts through compromise and negotiation. Although divorce unveils many risk factors involving a child’s health, it may be more beneficial rather than detrimental to children living in highly discorded families, in which children are able to acquire externalizing and internalizing behaviors (1). The development of coping skills and living in a supportive and empathetic environment are two crucial components for children to manage their ne...

    Read More

  • The Social Issue: Divorce and Depression

    2676 Words  | 6 Pages

    Around the world divorce is common and known amongst different societies, some with higher rates than others. According to Irvin (2012), in America there is one divorce every 13 seconds. That’s 6,646 divorces per day, and 46,532 divorce per week. This is a social issue within our society that has many negative effects on everyone facing this circumstance. The divorce rate in the U.S is a problem that shows an increase in its rates compared to the past decades. According to the U.S Census Bureau, around 50 percent of marriages end in a divorce. There are many reasons for divorce from “hard” reasons (e.g., abuse and adultery) to “soft” reasons (e.g., psychological and relational problems). The two most destructive reasons for a divorce is physical violence or alcohol and drug problems, but these reason are less frequently are seen as reasons for divorce. The most common reasons for divorce are the “soft” reasons. According to William, a recent national survey found that 73% said the “lack of commitment” was their major reason for divorce. Other reasons were “ too much arguing, infidelity, marrying too young, unrealistic expectations, lack of equality in the relationship, lack of preparation for marriage, and abuse” (William, p10). Divorce has known to be a second most stressful life event, came before only by the death of a spouse and what is that stress capable? It is dispatching a serious about of anxiety and depression to people’s limbic system as emotional center in the brain. According to Taylor and Beth (2009), the stress of divorce had driven people beyond the normal grief felt in a divorce and into a clinical depression. “Nearly 15 million American adults, or about 6.7 %...

    Read More

  • Cause and Effect Essay – The Causes of Divorce

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, the divorce rates trend to continually increase nowadays, thus it might be argued that divorces can take place easier than in the past. There are three main causes of divorce: changing women’s roles, stress in modern living and lack of communication, which are highlighted below. The first significant cause of the recent rise in the rates of divorce is that women completely change roles. In the past, men have to earn whole money to afford the expenses of family, whereas women only do housework, hence women have no money leading to depend on husbands’ money. Because of these situations, it is too difficult for most women to separate from their husbands.

    Read More

  • Traumatic Experience Essay

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    In life, many things are taken for granted on a customary basis. For example, we wake up in the morning and routinely expect to see and hear from certain people. Most people live daily life with the unsighted notion that every important individual in their lives at the moment, will exist there tomorrow. However, in actuality, such is not the case. I too fell victim to the routine familiarity of expectation, until the day reality taught me otherwise.

    Read More

  • Divorce And Everyday Life Essay

    1760 Words  | 4 Pages

    For better or for worse, divorce is an emotionally daunting subject that has become more prevalent in recent years. It would almost appear as though everyone you know has either experienced it as a child or have been through a divorce themselves. Despite divorce being so well known as a concept, many of the repercussions of going through one aren’t as well known. This paper will discuss issues with communication, finances, and what can happen to children that are involved in a divorce.

    Read More

  • Divorce Essay

    1921 Words  | 4 Pages

    I believe a couple doesn’t want to see their marriage down the drain; yet, sometimes, they think that divorce is their only outlet. Actually, “divorce may provide relief from the strain of a loveless or abusive relationship” (Divorce, par. 1). When you meet the girl of your life or the man of your dreams, and you fall in love with them, you probably feel like you’re a prince or a princess in a fairytale love story. One of the unfavorable habits of today’s couples is that from the moment they met their significant other, they become obsessed (and possessive, to some extent) with each other. S/he will do anything not to lose his/her lover – even getting married, without knowing what they’re going to get themselves into. When couples are in a hurry to get...

    Read More

More about Trauma Essay

Open Document