Marriages Fail Typically, Studies Involving

¶ … Marriages Fail

Typically, studies involving the causes of divorce interview divorced individuals to determine the cause of the divorce. According to Amato & Rogers, the most frequently cited marital problems include communication difficulties, general incompatibility, infidelity, not spending enough time at home, and disagreements about money (613). However, a longitudinal study conducted by Amato & Rogers used panel data from a telephone survey of married people in 1980 to determine the extent to which marital problems would predict divorce between 1980 and 1992. Amato & Rogers identified two types of factors that contribute to the dissolution of marriage. The first, they call distal factors, represent the characteristics that individuals bring into the relationship. The second, they call proximal factors, are specific marital problems which directly increase the likelihood of divorce (613).

Amato & Rogers explain "that distal factors (demographic and life course characteristics) affect the likelihood that certain problems arise within the relationships and these proximal relationship problems, increase the likelihood of divorce" (614). Distal factors that increase the likelihood of divorce include: marrying at an early age; cohabitating prior to marriage; being African-American; being in a marriage of short duration; having low religious participation; having low education or income; being in a second rather than a first marriage; experiencing parental divorce as a child; and women's employment and income (Amato & Rogers 614). Proximal factors that increase the likelihood of marital dissolution include: sexual infidelity; jealousy; drinking; spending money; moodiness; not communicating; and anger (Amato & Rogers 622). Amato & Rogers report that extramarital sex is a particularly powerful predictor of divorce, occurring in at least one-third of failed marriages.

According to Amato & Rogers, the distal factors such as age at marriage, church attendance, remarriage, and parental divorce affect the odds of divorce in part by "contributing to certain constellations of marital problems, which, in turn, predict divorce" (623). For example, couples who marry at a young age are more likely to report marital problems associated with infidelity and jealousy. However, frequent church attendance seems to lower the likelihood of divorce. This could be because people who attend church have internalized behavioral norms and behave better, or because there may be more stigma associated with divorce for them. Amato & Rogers further assert that parental divorce seems to lead to an increase of a number of marital problems including jealousy, infidelity, irritating habits, and spending money foolishly. Additionally, children who experience parental divorce do not have role models of effective relationship skills; therefore, they experience increased marital problems and an increased risk of divorce (623). Amato & Roger's research clearly shows a link between marital problems and the likelihood of divorce.

A second longitudinal study conducted by Huston was called the Processes of Adaptation in Intimate Relationships (PAIR) Project, and examined "romantic relationships back into courtship and forward into the early years of marriage, seeking to identify early signs of whether first-time marriages would be successful" (302). The study examined three developmental models of marital stress and divorce -- the enduring dynamics model, the disillusionment model, and the emergent distress model. According to the enduring dynamics model, a couple's courtship experiences accurately predict what their marriage will be like (Huston 304). In this model, marriages show distress from the beginning and typically end quickly in divorce. Huston explains that spouses are less in love and more antagonistic toward each other than happily married couples. Additionally, they are usually quite young when they marry and come from unhappy family environments (317).

The disillusionment model suggests that couples enter a marriage happily, but subsequently the "mundane concerns prevail and the romance begins to fade, particularly when the spouses discover that their mate is not as affectionate and wonderful as they were during courtship" (Huston 305). Under this model, according to Huston, it is the movement away from the romantic ideal, rather than the rise of antagonism early in marriage that results in divorce (320). Huston explains that couples show sharp declines in overt affection along with modest increases in ambivalence. They may also come to view each other as less responsive (320). Initially they may try to recapture the excitement of courtship, but if these efforts fail, they may begin to focus on their partner's shortcomings (Huston 320). Eventually, if one of the partners decides he or she wants out of the marriage, they may become antagonistic. However, sometimes the disillusioned partners remain married until someone better comes along (Huston 320).