Effects of Divorce on Children

Does Divorce Have Long-Term Damaging Effects on Children? With the significant number of marriages ending in divorce these days, it is important to analyze the impact of these dissolving unions on the children involved. With the current divorce rate slowing heading towards half of all marriages, this issue impacts the lives of almost everyone in the country. Divorces are reported about in the news and tabloids, politicians use it as a platform for policy change, and psychologists point to it to explain problems in their clients psyche. Our modern society was based on the foundation of a stable family unit that provided emotional and economic support, promoted socialization, and instilled positive values and attitudes in their children. While divorce does not mean that children will not be well adjusted and contributing members to society, it may inhibit or modify the ideals, values and goals of the future generations. (Finsterbusch, 2012) Elizabeth Marquardt believes that divorce impacts children in a negative and damaging way and that those who seek to paint divorce in a positive light are pandering to the adults in order to justify their decision to divorce and make them feel better about it. Marquardt holds a Masters Degree in Divinity, a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. in History and Women’s Studies from Wake Forest University. She is also the Vice President for Family Studies and Director of the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values in New York City. Marquardt relates her own experiences with divorce, growing up in a divorced family, how it affected her life and how she defines a “relationship” after having to adjust to all the changes that a divorce brings. She presents many opinions and shows faults in the research by Dr. Ahrons, but doesn’t provide many facts. Her position is that Dr. Ahrons has misinterpreted the data that she collected and asked her subjects questions

References: Ahrons, C. (2004). We 're Still Family: What Children Hve to Say about Their Parents ' Divorce. New York: HarperCollins. Finsterbusch, K. (2012). Taking Sides, Clashing Views on Social Issues. New York: McGraw-Hill. Marquardt, E. (2005, February). The Bad Divorce. First Things . Portnoy, S. M. (2008). The Psychology of Divorce: A Lawyer 's Primer, Part 2: The Effects of Divorce on Children. American Journal Of Family Law , 126-134. Smith, M. A. (2010). Religion, Divorce, and the Missing Culture War in America. Political Science Quarterly , 57-85.