Marriage, Divorce and Childrens Adjustment - Literature review Example

?Marriage, Divorce and Children’s Adjustment The of this book is well put forward short and direct to the point. It addresses the main issues that the book is going to address. It begins with marriage something that brings the family together as the basis of the following information. The next issue the title addresses is divorce and this is the core of the text book. The textbook will essential talk about divorce and how it affects the family in general. The next bit of the title addresses children and this is because the book is essentially talking of the effects of divorce on children and how it takes toll on their lives. The last bit of the title addresses adjustment and this is related to children after the divorce. In general the title is well phrased and tackles all the ideas that are presented in the book by showing us the logical flow of ideas as in what leads to what and who gets affected and the final outcome. Book titles are supposed to be informative and give the reader an idea about the book. The reader should be able to deduce what the book is talking about from the title. This is because the title is the first selling point of the book. The book begins with an editor’s introduction. The editor begins with an overview of the subject of child development expressing his views that the topic has attracted scholars in the field to examine it. The editor speaks of the problem of the state of the family institution in the United States speaking of the problems that it is facing and how they are affecting children. He goes ahead to mention the problem of divorce citing its far reaching consequences that it has had on children and adolescent development and thus necessitating a closer examination into the causes of some of the problems in marriage that lead to divorce and how children are affected and what can be done to ease the situation (Emery, 1999, pp. ix-x). The introduction has essentially given us a direction on the scope of the book as it tackles child development issues and how the family as a whole plays an important role in the development and well being of the child. So far in the introduction, various aspects are said to be covered in the text and the scope proposed by the editor does not present any limitations. The editor says that the book is part of a series of books in child development and says that various aspects have been covered in the previous book. Given the fact that this is a second edition means that the author has developed his ideas well and no aspect of the subject has been left behind. The preface helps to bring the message home by explaining the aspect of divorce and how it should be understood. The author picks the subject from a neutral point of view presenting his experiences and those of others and explaining that some of these aspects are multidisciplinary and should be looked at from various angles in order to get a better understanding. The table of contents in any book should be the guiding factor for the reader to easily get information from the book. The table of contents should have a simple flow that shows the development of ideas from one stage to another. This book has a well structured table of contents that has a chronological flow of ideas. The book has divided its contents into seven chapters. Chapter one presents an overview of divorce and various perspectives on children and divorce. Chapter two sets out by examining the cultural, historical, and demographic perspective of the issue of divorce and this is based on the United States (Emery, 1999, pp. 5-20). Chapter three presents research findings and shows the methodology that was used in conducting the research concerning divorce, marriage and children adjustment (Emery, 1999, pp. 21-30). Chapter four then looks at how children adjust after divorce and breaks them down into a number of problems that are individually addressed. It also looks at the issues that result in divorce such as intimacy and emotional problems (Emery, 1999, pp. 33-52). Chapter five looks at the family processes and children’s adjustment, examining conflict, separation and parent child relationships and problems. Chapter six looks at some of the interventions available and how children can be assisted in coping with the problem (Emery, 1999,pp. 91-102). These interventions range from individual coping tasks, parental involvement, treatment, family interventions and school based groups. It also examines some research on these interventions and their perceived effectiveness. The last chapter looks at legal interventions examining laws, policies and new directions that could be adopted to help children. From the above information the chronological flow of ideas is seen moving from one topic to another that builds on the previous discussed ideas. The main ideas are very well developed and supporting information is provided on the sub-topics (Emery, 1999, pp.103-129). This book is can be placed in various genres ranging from psychology to sociology. It fits into any of these two categories because of the fact that the book talks of the family and children and therefore qualifies to be placed in the sociology field. It also talks of problems that affect the society and especially the problem of divorce and therefore still falls in this category perfectly. It then also examines the interplay between divorce and children and how the child fits into society after the parents are divorced and this also qualifies it to belong to the sociology field. On the other hand the book can fit into the psychology because of the fact that it talks of children development and the various factors that affect child development especially when the parents are divorced. This aspect of child development also qualifies it to be in the field of psychology. Depending on a person’s perspective this book qualifies to be in any of the mentioned categories and fits well in each of them. Although the editor of the book says it can be used in helping children to develop and places it in psychology, my perspective is that this book is more inclined to the field of sociology than the field of psychology. The writer has adopted a very objective point of view in the whole book. He begins by giving us the readers, an idea about the subject of divorce and its cultural historical and demographic perspective in the United States. After that the author presents us with various findings of studies that have been carried out and shows us the methodology that was used. This shows us that the writer does not use his subjective point of view, that is, his viewing of the divorce situation in America. Rather the author brings us up to speed with data from the people and shows us how the situation is dire and how the children are suffering because of divorce. The author then takes us through a series of issues ranging from parent child relationships, problems resulting in divorce, various interventions to help children adjust and what needs to be put in place in terms of policies and laws to help children adjust. Therefore in my perspective I agree with the authors ideas based on his objectivity of the entire situation. He has handled the entire book from an objective point by considering both sides of the issue and has also incorporated his experiences in the text to add value to the book. It is very easy to follow the author’s thesis from the beginning of the book. The author begins by saying that “Opinions about divorce often are polarized not only within families but also in public discussions about divorce, its causes and consequences and appropriate societal responses. Some bemoan the disappearance of the traditional family; others welcome diversity in family forms and roles.” (Emery, 1999, pp. 1-2) This is what the book revolves around. It has been well explained in the text showing us history and various perspectives to what needs to be done at the end. The central thesis of the book is simple to follow beginning with history. The history begins with the hunters and gatherers saying that “divorce rates among the Hadza a hunter and Gatherer society in eastern Africa were five times greater than in the united states.” He the n describes what happened after divorce saying that “after divorce, a father typically moved to reside with a different band of Hadza, whereas the children remained with their mother.” (Emery, 1999, p. 6) The community then was responsible for taking care of the children of the divorced parents. The author then moves to give us a history and demographics in America and Europe saying that divorce was restricted especially by the Catholic Church (Emery, 1999, pp 7-10). In the rest of the text, the author adopts a very formal style of presentation presenting various findings from studies taken. His audience as he said in the introduction is the scholars in the field of sociology and psychology and thus he adopts this style of writing so that his audience is able to get his points and follow research findings that may also be of great help to them. The concepts are well defined in the book for example he defines divorce as “a process and not an event” (Emery, 1999, p. 6) and he goes ahead to talk of the divorce process and how it is seen as a process. He also defines a family as “a pattern of relations, not necessarily bound by a husband and wife with a son and a daughter but as a continually evolving system, one that responds to changing social and economic demands.” (Emery, 1999, p. 7) The concepts in this book are well covered presenting various perspectives from different sources. The information is also accurate and is seen as a result of research and from credible peer reviewed journals and books written by reputable scholars. The author presents a summary of the book at the end of chapter seven. The summary is well written and covers all the aspects that were discussed in the book. The author says that “Divorce has shaped every part of the American family, affecting government, institutions and the least of them: children. The various interventions presented here are meant to help policy makers and developers to help in addressing the psychological effects that divorce presents to children.” (Emery, 1999, p. 129) The book has presented various aspects, providing a comprehensive look at the topic. The author has presented information from credible sources objectively and comprehensively. The author accomplished his aim in this edition. The editor explained it as a series and therefore the probability of improving on this edition or presenting various other aspects of the topic will be high. Overall the book is comprehensively written, well researched and well presented. List of references Emery, R. E. (1999). Marriage, Divorce, and Children's Adjustment (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications. Read More