Life-Span Perspective: The Effects Of Divorce

Divorce is a subject that affects many people of all different cultures, ethnicities, and lifestyles. In America divorce rates differentiate between states. In Panama City, Florida, the divorce rate is 14.35% for couples over the age of fifteen (Huffington Post 2013). However, in other states, the rate can be as low as 6.05% (Huffington Post 2013). Considering these statistics, it is safe to assume that divorce is a huge part our lives as Americans. Most people will be able to give a standard definition of the word ‘divorce’ and they will be able to tell you basic repercussions of divorce. What most people fail to mention is the effects that surface later on in life. When a family is broken up, the whole house feels the change, and with that
Paul and Margaret Baltes put together an idea that was called the ‘Life-Span Perspective.’ This is the idea that human development is multidirectional, multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary and plastic (Baltes et al., 2006; Staudinger & Lindenberger, 2003). Their idea of development being ‘plastic’ means that the brain can be molded depending on circumstances, yet still maintain durability of identity. If a traumatic event occurs and affects the brain, a part of the brain may be altered, causing identity to shift. This shift in identity, depending on what stage the person is in, can cause a relapse in the whole process. Angela Oswalt points out that “Marcia believed that certain situations and events (called "crises") serve as catalysts prompting movement along this continuum and through the various identity statuses” (Oswalt 2010). Divorce is a stressful and painful endurance for all of those involved, so painful that it has the potential to affect a person’s development for the rest of their
It is quite obvious that raising a child in a single parent household with one income is difficult. When a couple divorces, they are faced with many economic issues. This lack of income may cause the child to not be provided with all the necessities. These necessities include, tuition, schoolbooks, technology in the house and material objects that may help the child make friends. All of these things have repercussions involved that will affect their development. For example, if the child is not provided with tuition money, he or she may not be able to attend a good school causing the child to dislike the idea of learning and lose interest. If they cannot keep up with the new toys or sneakers, they will become outcasts and have trouble making friends. If the single parent cannot keep up the lifestyle they were leaving before the divorce, the child may have a hard time adapting. This stressful adaption will cause an instable feeling. Whenever they start to feel comfortable somewhere, they will expect to have to pick up and