Deck 13: Coming Apart: Separation and Divorce

Question 1

Goals of mediation include which of the following?

A) To discourage divorcing parents to see shared parenting as a viable alternative
B) To save the marriage if possible
C) To increase anxiety about shared parenting
D) To see that couples exit the marriage with less conflict

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Establishing a postdivorce identity involves

A) transition.
B) decline.
C) relocation.
D) relapse.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of Wallerstein's (1997) stages of children's experience of divorce is characterized by restructuring the family, and by social and economic changes?

A) The initial stage
B) The transition stage
C) The restabilization stage
D) The growth stage

Answer 3

B

Question 4

During the uncoupling process, the initiator is dissatisfied or unhappy, but keeps such feelings to themselves.

Question 5

Property settlement, alimony, and child support are part of the economic divorce.

Question 6

Which of the following is associated with a decreased chance of divorce?

A) College education
B) Low-status occupations
C) Working the night shift
D) Low income

Question 7

One of the most damaging consequences of the no-fault divorce laws is that they

A) have tripled the divorce rate.
B) keep people from trying to settle their differences.
C) are unavailable in most states.
D) systematically impoverish women and their children.

Question 8

When a marriage breaks up, almost everyone experiences all of the following, except

A) separation distress.
B) distress which is real but does not last forever.
C) a lack of apprehension.
D) centering their attention on the missing partner.

Question 9

Determining how to deal with divorce largely depends on

A) whether we are dealing with children or adults.
B) whether we see divorce as a problem or as a solution to problems.
C) finding the best way to "dismantle the divorce culture."
D) knowing which social class we are dealing with.

Question 10

A marriage might be annulled if a person

A) was elderly at the time of marriage.
B) was under the influence of drugs or alcohol when marrying.
C) was cohabiting with someone else when marrying.
D) had children before marrying.

Question 11

According to the text, mothers are typically awarded custody for which reason?

A) Both men and women usually believe children are better off with mothers.
B) Custody to the mother is objectively better.
C) Placing children in the father's custody places them at greater risk for abuse.
D) The law reflects a bias that assumes men are naturally better able to care for children.

Question 12

One proximal cause of divorce is age at marriage.

Question 13

Compared to first marriages, remarriages are _____ to end in divorce.

A) less likely
B) more likely
C) just as likely
D) much less likely

Question 14

In which custody arrangement do children live with both parents, dividing time more or less equally between the two parents?

A) Sole
B) Joint physical
C) Combined
D) Split

Question 15

Children living in ____ appear to be the worst adjusted.

A) tranquil single-parent families
B) happy two-parent families
C) conflict-ridden two-parent families
D) tranquil stepfamilies

Question 16

How is religion related to divorce?

A) The greater a person's commitment to religious activity, the higher the risk of divorce.
B) The more often one goes to church, the lower the risk of divorce.
C) Marriages in which wives attend church weekly but husbands don't are less at risk for divorce.
D) Religion has no relationship with divorce.

Question 17

The partner who first experiences dissatisfaction in the relationship is called the

A) terminator.
B) divorcee.
C) initiator.
D) uncoupler.

Question 18

The economic consequences of divorce for women are

A) much more severe than they were in the 1970s.
B) less dire than they were in the past.
C) relatively absent.
D) less than they are for men.

Question 19

Which of the following is true of no-fault divorce?

A) No-fault divorce requires that a person prove that he or she is not at fault in bringing about a divorce.
B) No-fault divorce is allowed only in certain states.
C) No-fault divorce forces the couple to accuse each other, or prove the other responsible for the failure of their marriage.
D) No-fault divorce is permitted in more states than fault-based divorce.

Question 20

Which custody arrangement often has harmful effects on sibling bonds, and should only be entered into cautiously?

A) Sole
B) Joint physical
C) Combined
D) Split

Question 21

The divorce rate has declined in recent years.

Question 22

Scholars suggest that divorce does not represent a devaluation of marriage but a(n)

A) idealization of marriage.
B) obsession with marriage.
C) misunderstanding of marriage.
D) rejection of marriage.

Question 23

The _____ represents the number of divorces in a given year for every 1,000 people in the population.

A) ratio measure of divorce
B) crude divorce rate
C) refined divorce rate
D) predictive divorce rate

Question 24

Adolescents usually blame themselves for their parents' divorce.

Question 25

Describe the process of "uncoupling."

Question 26

Discuss factors which appear to be important in children's adjustment after divorce.

Question 27

All of the following factors affect divorce, except

A) phenotypic features.
B) changed nature of the family.
C) employment status.
D) educational level.

Question 28

Discuss how societal factors influence divorce in America.

Question 29

The Child Support Enforcement Amendments and the Family Support Act require states to deduct delinquent support from fathers' paychecks.

Question 30

New ways of relating to children and former spouses are part of the

A) community divorce.
B) economic divorce.
C) emotional divorce.
D) co-parental divorce.

Question 31

Discuss Wallerstein's developmental tasks of divorce for children.

Question 32

Cohabitation vastly increases the risk of divorce.

Question 33

Following divorce, women are primarily responsible for both childrearing and the economic support of children.

Question 34

Noncustodial parental involvement varies depending on whether the custodial family is a single-parent family or a stepfamily.

Question 35

The ____ rate represents the number of divorces in a given year for every 1,000 marriages in the population.

A) ratio of marriages to divorces
B) crude divorce
C) refined divorce
D) predictive divorce

Question 36

Which of the following is true of American marriages?

A) The United States has one of the lowest marriage rates in the industrialized world.
B) The United States has one of the highest divorce rates in the world.
C) The United States has one of the lowest remarriage rates in the world.
D) The United States has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world for remarriages.

Question 37

The process of uncoupling in gay or lesbian relationships is distinct from the type of uncoupling that happens in heterosexual couples.

Question 38

Identify and describe the stations of the divorce process.

Question 39

The stage of disintegration in which one partner begins to disengage is termed the

A) emotional divorce.
B) psychic divorce.
C) legal divorce.
D) co-parental divorce.

Question 40

According to the text, many unresolved issues of the _________ divorce may be acted out during the _________divorce.

A) psychic; co-parental
B) emotional; legal
C) psychic; community
D) emotional; community