Boundaries; A Case Study
Case Study: Samantha
Case Study: Samantha
Samantha is a 48-year-old African American elementary school teacher who has been married four times. She was first married to her high school sweetheart at the age of 18. He died three years later in the Vietnam War. She married her second husband seven years after that, but the marriage ended in divorce, when it was discovered that her husband was gay. Her third marriage was to a man who was 10 years her junior and that marriage ended after 3 years when she found out that her husband was having an affair with a younger woman.
Now this current marriage is ending because of a lack of passion and companionship, and an apparent general disinterest. Samantha dreads the aftermath of this divorce. She has begun to isolate herself from friends and spend long periods moping and thinking about how gloomy her future will be because she has decided never to marry or date again. Samantha’s parents were happily married for 50 years. They are both recently deceased and she continues to miss their support, affection, and guidance. Samantha has an older brother, whom she greatly admires and loves. He has been married for 20 years and has two daughters with whom Samantha has a close relationship. She views both her parents’ and brother’s marriages as perfect.
Presenting Problem:
Samantha is experiencing depression because her fourth marriage is in dissolution and she feels flawed and like a failure, and doomed to lead a life of loneliness. A life-long marriage has always been a profound desire for Samantha. She was raised to believe that “people are meant to go through life two by two.” She believes that the thing she wanted most in life has eluded her.
She and her current husband have been married for 7 years. The marriage has slowly eroded to the point where it is not remotely meeting her needs. Her husband has refused to enter into marital counseling and has stated
Case Study: Samantha
Samantha is a 48-year-old African American elementary school teacher who has been married four times. She was first married to her high school sweetheart at the age of 18. He died three years later in the Vietnam War. She married her second husband seven years after that, but the marriage ended in divorce, when it was discovered that her husband was gay. Her third marriage was to a man who was 10 years her junior and that marriage ended after 3 years when she found out that her husband was having an affair with a younger woman.
Now this current marriage is ending because of a lack of passion and companionship, and an apparent general disinterest. Samantha dreads the aftermath of this divorce. She has begun to isolate herself from friends and spend long periods moping and thinking about how gloomy her future will be because she has decided never to marry or date again. Samantha’s parents were happily married for 50 years. They are both recently deceased and she continues to miss their support, affection, and guidance. Samantha has an older brother, whom she greatly admires and loves. He has been married for 20 years and has two daughters with whom Samantha has a close relationship. She views both her parents’ and brother’s marriages as perfect.
Presenting Problem:
Samantha is experiencing depression because her fourth marriage is in dissolution and she feels flawed and like a failure, and doomed to lead a life of loneliness. A life-long marriage has always been a profound desire for Samantha. She was raised to believe that “people are meant to go through life two by two.” She believes that the thing she wanted most in life has eluded her.
She and her current husband have been married for 7 years. The marriage has slowly eroded to the point where it is not remotely meeting her needs. Her husband has refused to enter into marital counseling and has stated
References: Brimhall, A., Kimball, T., Wampler, K. (2008). Learning from the past, altering the future: A tentative theory of the effect of past relationships on couples who remarry. Family Process,47, 373-387 Leber, B., Markman, H., Stanley, S., St. Peters, M. (1995). Strengthening marriages and preventing divorce: New directions in prevention research. Family Relations, 44, 392-401. Wolfinger, N. (2007). Does the Rebound Effect Exist? Time to Remarriage and Subsequent Union Stability. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 46, 9-20.