Title
Divorce and the Effects on Optimism, Spirituality and Commited Relationships
Document Type
Student Presentation
Presentation Date
4-15-2013
Faculty Sponsor
Kimberly McAdams
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to investigate perceptions of commited relationships, religion and optimism through individuals from a background of divorce compared to individuals from a non-divorced family. Divorce rates are extremely high, contributing to the demographic and current generations. I aim to see if divorce has a negative effect on spirituality and religion as well as how it effects individual's perception and optimism towards commited romantic relationships. I hypothesize that if a child from a divorced family of origin was religiously affiliated before the divorce, following the divorce they will identify themselves as spiritual rather than religious. In this study I will compare the amount of religious/spiritual activity before, during, and after a divorce to see any differences that may emerge. I hypothesize that if religion or spirituality was a major factor in their everyday lives before the divorce, religious affiliation will decline both during and after the divorce. Because divorce creates instability in a child’s life, social domains change in every way; divorce may slow identity development; there is a possible correlation between children of divorce having a more difficult time creating close intimate relationships, how they appraise religion/spirituality, committed relationships, marriage and divorce.