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Psycho-social Factors Influencing Marital Instability
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 5]
Page 2 of 5
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Attachment pattern as a psychosocial factor is very important in any
marriage. A growing number of studies suggest that, among individuals in
relationships, attachment style/pattern is a significant predictor of
relationship satisfaction. In Bowlby's work on attachment pattern, there
are two major categories of attachment pattern between two individuals
in a relationship, and he also laid emphasis on the categories of
attachment pattern that could either sustain or destroy a particular
relationship. These patterns are secure attachment pattern and insecure
attachment pattern. The secure attachment simply explains that, apartner
with this type of attachment pattern are open to people, extroverts in
nature, share feelings with their partners; securely attached adults
would be more tolerant, less reactive, and prefer smaller interpersonal
distances. Insecure attachment pattern on the other hand is categorized
into two; the avoidant attachment pattern and the ambivalent attachment
pattern. An avoidant and ambivalent attached individuals seek emotional
distance and extreme closeness, respectively. When a woman is loosely
attached to her husband, such woman tend to share secrets, find
difficulty in sharing marital problems, such individual can hardly cope
or bear unplanned circumstances.
Parental marital background of a
particular partner is a psychosocial factor that shapes and develops
one's personality as one grows. As certain behaviours, characteristics
and traits are said to be emulated from either the father or the mother.
It is also of importance to know that the parental marital background
of an individual greatly shapes a couples perceptionabout life,
perception of other people and how to cope and deal with situations that
arisesfrom one's social environment. The effect of parental marital
background on individuals is quite worrisome these days, as some
researchers have tried drawing a link between a partner's parental
marital background and their stability in marriage. The word `family
background' would have been more preferable but the context is very
broad as it entails issues like, single parent, family structure
(polygamous e.t.c), educational background, literacy level, parental
marital background, family's social and economic status. Therefore, the
area of interest to me is parental marital background. Some researchers
have gone to the point of showing a clear relationship between a partner
whose parent has either separated, divorced or being single and their
stability in marriage with their future partners. Women whose parents
have separated or divorced tend to have- higher level of marital
instability than their male counterpart, and the reason why this is so
cannot still be fully explained, as there are result which also shows
that men are as well influenced by their parental marital background
which affects their marital stability.
In-Law's Involvement in
marriages, is a psychological trend that runs through so many families
all over the world today, leading to serious damages in any dyadic
relationship. Marriages are meant for two and not three; decisions in
marriages are meant for two and not three, because most times, the
presence or interference of a third person in marriage isoften powerful
than even the two partners involve, as a partner might be influenced by
the third party. According to Bowen (1978) and Friedman (1985), the
involvement of a third party in a relationship is as a way of diffusing
some of the pressure and tension between the couple and can have a
negative effect on the couple's relationship. One major problem most
women find hard to cope with in marriage is, when the husband is not
strong enough to confront her, scold her, and talk to her but rather
reporting to his in-law without her consent. This problem affects most
women psychologically, and therefore shapes their interaction to their
husband and their marriage socially. At this point, most marriages are
usually irredeemable.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Overtime
in the history of marriage, women have been known to be the major
problems of marital instability in every home, because society sees them
as solely responsible for every marital instability in society. In some
relationships, some women often claim they feel cheated, neglected,
uncared for, maltreated or abused by their husbands, therefore they
prefer being independent or getting a new life with a man who would show
them affection, love, care, support; a man who would understand the way
they think, show empathy, a man who can communicate effectively with
them, a man who can meet their emotional and sexual needs and also, a
man who can take good care of them and more importantly, they would love
to create a life of their own without any interference from anyone. All
these factors, put together affects women's decision and attitude in
marriage, and also shapes their thoughts which and makes them either
submissive or responsive in marriage or vice-versa.
In essence,
psychosocial factors influencing marital instability arises from the way
women observe situations in marriages in respect to their feelings,
thoughts, belief, culture and personality. Now, when there's a conflict
or misunderstanding between a woman's feelings, thoughts, belief,
culture, personality and her spouse, she tend to create behaviours,
attitudes and certain responses which then shapes her social behaviour
towards her spouse, and as a result of this, terms like marital
disengagement, marital dissolution, marital instability, divorce come to
being.
Communication in every relationship is very essential to the
partners involved, as a breakdown in the communication processor pattern
between two spouses could result to deep crises between both partners.
Studies have revealed that one of the top five issues generating
conflict in marriage is communication (Ekot and Usoro, 2006; Anyakoha
and James, 2004). The level of spousal communication between couple
often determine the success and failure of that marriage. Tanner (1990)
in Santrock (2002) observed that lack of communication was high on
women's reasons for divorce whereas for men it was insignificant. This
is to say that certain life situations between a woman and her husband
influences the rate of spousal communication between them. This
'situations could either be positive or negative, but whichever way it
is, a woman's communication with her spouse could either be
psychological or social.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 5]
Page 2 of 5
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