Research, Describe and Compare the Impact of Divorce

The Impact of Divorce
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The Impact of Divorce
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the term attachment denotes “strong feelings of affection or loyalty for someone or something.” With reference to Bowlby’s 1969 definition of the word, McLeod (2009) defined the term as “a deep and enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across time and space.” Primarily, the term describes the emotional connection that often exists or that grows between people. From this term, John Bowlby coined the attachment theory in 1969 which essentially, helps to emphasize the importance of attachment in personal development. According to Bowlby, a person’s ability to form either a physical or an emotional attachment goes hand in hand with their sense of security and stability to grow and also develop as different personalities. Through Bowlby’s work, the notion that a child’s healthy and active development depends heavily on their ability to form a stable connection with at least a single parent (mother or father) was conceived. Researchers have built on his works, and some even went ahead and linked the attachment theory and divorce. In this article, the author will use the attachment theory to elucidate on the impacts of divorce on preschool, school-age as well as adolescent children.
As per the attachment theory, children develop a sense of security from their childhood days when they successfully form an attachment with their caregivers or parents. However, an ounce of separation or a disturbance of the norm often impacts the child negatively, and may even affect their growth. Four elements or components of the attachment theory have been used to help describe the relationship that children form with their parents. They include the safe haven, the secure base, the proximity maintenance, and finally, the separation distress. Safe haven, mainly, describes the aspect of a child seeking comfort from their caregivers whenever they are in danger or frightened or when they feel threatened. A secure base is concerned with the fact that the caregiver provides the child with a solid foundation on which he can grow and learn about the world. Proximity maintenance describes the aspect of a child exploring the world while still seeking guidance or trying to maintain their intimacy with their caregiver. Lastly, separation distress describes the fact that children end up sad or heartbroken when they are alienated from their caregivers. The above best describes the mind of a child during preschool, school age as well as adolescent and thus best represents the eventual sadness or disjointed childhood some people had as a result of divorce. Below is a detailed description of the impacts of divorce on preschool, school-age, and adolescent children.
Impact of Divorce on Preschool Children
Children in this age bracket are not emotionally and mentally equipped to handle or comprehend the reality of a divorce. Psychologists agree that at this age, children are trying to make sense of simple things and a divorce is indeed too big of an issue to ...