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

Discussion
Family Stress Theory
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...

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...termined roles of the family and how these roles are taken over when a family has or is dealing with a divorce. The roles are taken by the spouses where the father would take the mothers role or the mother would take the fathers role. Also, if the children are old enough they would have to mature up and help the family by taking a role and helping the family by working and providing money. The last family theory the paper focused on was the conflict theory and how it connects well with divorce. The conflict theory connect with divorce because there are many conflicts that happen during the time of the divorce and after the divorce whether it be between the spouses or between the parents and children. These conflicts can both leave the children or parents with stress and being emotional. Therefore, divorce has a huge toll on the family dynamic in many negative ways.