For Better Or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered"A reader-friendly guide to how people can build success out of the stress and adversity of divorce."—Michael Rutter, Institute of Psychiatry, London Mavis Hetherington, "without doubt the world's preeminent researcher on the family processes that surround divorce,...has distilled the wisdom growing out of her many studies of the short-term and long-term impact of divorce on family members" (Eleanor Maccoby, Stanford University). Offering "a welcome corrective to misleading and simplistic accounts," Hetherington "not only provides scientifically sound and wonderfully sensible guidance but dispels the myth that divorce is always negative" (Ross D. Parke, University of California, Riverside). This "widely-heralded study" (Time) is a "reader-friendly guide to how people can build success out of the stress and adversity of divorce" (Michael Rutter, Institute of Psychiatry, London), presenting a more nuanced picture of marital breakup—not as a momentary event but as a life process. Hetherington identifies the kinds of marriages that predispose a couple to divorce or not and also pinpoints "windows of change" that allow some to fashion the challenges of divorce into an opportunity for themselves and for their children. "Gold standard [research] aimed at clearing up confusion among moms and dads worried about divorce."—USA Today "Sure to become a classic in the field!"—Constance R. Ahrons, author of The Good Divorce "Without doubt the world's preeminent researcher on the family processes that surround divorce."—Eleanor Maccoby, Stanford University "A welcome corrective to misleading and simplistic accounts...dispels the myth that divorce is always negative."—Ross D. Parke, University of California, Riverside |
Contents
The His and Her Marriage the His and Her Divorce | 19 |
Leaving and Letting Go Changes and New Chances in the First Two Years After Divorce | 43 |
The Balance of Happiness Why People Succeed or Fail After Divorce | 67 |
Six Ways to Leave a Marriage The Pathways Men and Women Take Out of Divorce | 94 |
Incompetent Bullies and Undisciplined Disciplinarians Children and Parents in the First Two Years After Divorce | 110 |
What Helps and What Hurts Childrens Adjustment Six Years After Divorce | 124 |
REMARRIAGE AND STEPFAMILY LIFE ADULTS AND CHILDREN AT ELEVEN YEARS AFTER DIVORCE | 161 |
Repartnering High Hopes and Crossed Fingers | 163 |
Welcome to Peer World Why Teens from Divorced and Remarried Families Leave Home Earlier and Get into Trouble More Often | 203 |
IN THE HOME STRETCH ADULTS AND CHILDREN TWENTY YEARS LATER | 225 |
Mostly Happy Children of Divorce as Young Adults | 227 |
Win Lose and Draw Adults Twenty Years Later | 254 |
Lessons Learned in Fortyfive Years of Studying Families | 275 |
The Three Studies | 281 |
Selected References | 289 |
| 293 | |
Other editions - View all
For Better Or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered Eileen Mavis Hetherington,John Kelly Limited preview - 2002 |
For Better Or for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered Mavis E Hetherington,John Kelly No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
Adam adjustment adolescence authoritative parenting become Bethany boys breakup buffer casual sex Celia chil child children of divorce cohabiting conflict Connie Connie Russell Connie's coping couples custodial depression Dickie Disengaged divorced and remarried divorced families divorced women dren emotional father feel friends girls going happy Hetherington husband intimate relationships involved James Janet Janet Coleman kids later Leah less Libertines Liddy Pennybaker Liddy's Linda Reid lives locus of control looked Lucinda Lucinda Fredericks male married married couples mature menarche moved never newly divorced Nick non-custodial non-divorced families nuclear family parent-child partner Paul peers percent person problems protective factors remarriage remarried families riage risk and protective role second marriage sexual Simon Simon Russell single six-year skills social sometimes spouse stepchildren stepfather stepparent stresses talk things told twenty-year interview unhappy usually vulnerable wife woman
Popular passages
Page 5 - After forty years of research, I harbor no doubts about the ability of divorce to devastate. It can and does ruin lives. I've seen it happen more times than I like to think about. But that said, I also think much current writing on divorce — both popular and academic — has exaggerated its negative effects and ignored its sometimes considerable positive effects. Divorce has undoubtedly rescued many adults and children from the horror of domestic abuse, but it is not just a preventative measure....