FREE ESSAY ON THE EFFECT OF DIVORCE ON SONS?? AGGRESSION

THE EFFECT OF DIVORCE ON SONS?? AGGRESSION

The Effect of Divorce on Sons?? Aggression
The divorce rate has dramatically and progressively increased in recent years (Bridgeman
& Alvon, 1991; Lowen & Mill, 1998). Many literatures have cited the varied effects of
divorce on children. The most significant findings are affective (Carry, 1989) and
behavioral (Wright, 1984) disturbances. Particularly, boys have been observed to be prone
to anger (Pieri, 1985). Wilson and Ruth (1985) have speculated that the increase of
behavior disorders and juvenile delinquency can be attributed, in part, to the increasing
divorce rate. In their study of 300 juvenile delinquent boys, Cook and Turner (1978)
noted a divorce rate among parents that was significantly higher than in a non-delinquent
group of comparable age and socio-economic status. Absenteeism and referrals for
disciplinary action were more frequent in a sample of Minnesota junior high school
students whose parent were divorced than in a sample of students from unbroken families.
(Zuk, 1987)
Clinical theorists have presented a convincing rationale for these findings. Pieri (1985)
has pointed out that the breakdown of the nuclear family and, as is typical, the
departure of the father from the family, leads to anger stemming from the change in
family status, disruption of secure routines, blame casting, depression, and economic
stresses. Boys, who are apt to be more closely identified with the father, are more
likely to display anger in the form of aggressive acting-out behavior (Wright, 1984).
It is important that these clinical observations and theoretical formulations are
subjected to more rigorous scientific assessment. The purpose of this study is to test
the hypothesis that boys of divorced parents are prone to anger, thereby providing
research support for existing theoretical formulations. This investigation aims to offer
experimental confirmation of the idea that anger is a distinguishing characteristic of
boys of divorced parents.
Bibliography
Reference
Bridgeman, W. N., & Alvon, K. C. (1991). Marriage and divorce. Family Studies, 16,
133-150.
Lowen, B. G., & Mill, A. (1998). Separation and divorce in contemporary society. Marriage
Studies, 5, 145-152.
Carry, L. (1989). The impact of divorce on families. Journal of Psychology, 198, 80-90.
Wright, P. (1984). Behavioral consequences of divorce. Journal of Social Psychiatry, 9,
130-138.
Pieri. T. H. (1985). Sex differences in emotional expression. Journal of Psychology, 175,
81-88.
Wilson, F., & Ruth, K. (1985). Inquiry into the causes of juvenile delinquency.
Delinquency Quarterly, 18, 145-156.
Cook. Y. K., & Turner, C. (1978). Abandonment, divorce, and delinquency. Delinquency
Quarterly, 5, 15-30.
Zuk, O. (1987). The effect of divorce on school performance. Journal of Childhood
Psychology, 6, 290-299.