Impact of Divorce on Children

When looking at divorce and its implications of children during the early years of life, there can be several implications as suggested in the theory of Psychosocial behavior, written by Erik Erickson that divorce can have profound implications in a child's motivation, tendencies towards delinquency, and overall prospects into adulthood. When first looking at the topic of divorce it is best to look at the significance of having a child grow up in a household with both parents present and the importance of the impact that makes on a child.

As pointed to within the textbook, “Children who grow up with both parents tend to hold a more empathetic nature….”.

Bring this to the attention that having empathy which is nurtured by parents to child is an important attribute of function in society as a social creature and can play an integral role in adulthood. While this is important for individuals to develop, it is also key to maintain consistency in a child's life so if a divorce does occur it is important to allow the child access to both parents to help them to continue to grow, according to Dr.

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Isolina Ricci "When children are free to love both of their parents without conflict of loyalty, to have access to them both without fear of losing either, they can get on with the totally absorbing business of growing up, on schedule." Helping a child stay on track through development helps prevent potential problems such as antisocial behaviors and other possible complications.

When looking at how divorce may increase the likelihood of a child being hindered in the pursuit of accomplishing what Erkson sets as the goal of human development throughout childhood. Things of this nature have been touched upon by, such as the long lasting impact it can have on a child's ability for social adjustment. Erikson, argues that a child in the first stage of life, loosely the first three years of life, must begin to develop self confidence, and divorce may diepte this “Around the time your child starts walking, it must start to build self confidence and a feeling or autonomy”. This atomy is disrupted by the divorce.

If a divorce occurs it is important to keep the child away from any possible ager, frustration or disruptions the divorce may bring as it may impact the child's self confidence later in life. Unlike Erikson, Seligman believed that divorce could potentially work against motivation development within children saying that, “...this theory emphasizes the goal of reaching well-being. After all, people are motivated to do many things in life that do not necessarily increase happiness at the present moment”. Saying that children with detach from both parents will lack the emotional attachment to their activities after a divorce, simply will spawn a disinterest in the activities to begin with over time.