Describing the experience of divorce from different perspectives

English Question

Overall Description of the paper:

Students will write a research paper describing the experience of divorce from different perspectives. If you choose a heterosexual couple, you should include the husband's perspective ("His divorce"), and the wife's perspective ("Her" divorce). You may also choose to focus on a same sex couple or a couple where one partner is going through a gender transition (transexual transition), as long as you reflect on the perspective of each spouse.

The paper should be written in the form of a case study that a therapist or researcher who is trying to describe in the context of the existing research on the divorce process. An important aspect of this writing assignment is to describe the perspectives of both the husband and the wife in the same relationship (e.g. not presenting a solely one sided story). You are welcome to write a paper about a gay or lesbian couple, but you must still clearly present the perspectives of the two spouses and cite relevant research. You are welcome to present a case study from your own life as long as you change the names of the individuals involved and clearly present the sides of both spouses.

You must cite (reference) both materials presented in the course readings, and at least two original empirical articles (found through a literature search) that are relevant to the focus of the case study. Choose one stage of divorce process to focus on: troubled marriage with predictors of divorce present, transitioning towards divorce, separation, dissolution/post-divorce, or remarriage and blending of families. You can either more broadly describe each individual's experience and cite associated research, or you can choose to focus more specifically on a specific sub area of interest (e.g. health issues, co-parenting, emotional adjustment, etc.) Details regarding each section are described below. The entire paper should be written using APA style, and should be clearly written. Each paper should include:

 1. A title page,

2. An introductory paragraph,

3. A presentation of the case study itself in a way that describes the perspectives of both spouses),

 4. An analysis of the case study referencing relevant research,

5. A conclusion paragraph, and

6. A references page.

Title page

The title page should be formatted using APA style and include a title, your name, and your affiliation (Department of Child and Family Development, San Diego State University)

 Introductory paragraph

This paragraph should be a basic introduction to the case examined and any specific area of sub focus. For example:

This case study will examine the experience of a couple who are both in their late 30's, Robert and Barbara, who recently divorced and are grappling with issues involving co-parenting. Although Robert and Barbara's overall experience will be briefly described to give context to his situation, this analysis of their case will focus on co-parenting. Literature regarding father's and mother's co-parenting experiences (including arrangements for access to the children) will be reviewed to gain further insights into this case as well as to promote understanding of the divorce experience in general."

Presentation of the Case Study (approximately 1 page)

This section entails the description of the case study that will be analyzed in relation to relevant research in the following section. You can either describe the case from the viewpoint of the therapist or researcher writing up the case study, or they can describe it from the viewpoint of the case (e.g. Robert and Barbara). I think that the easiest way to do this is to introduce the couple and then include a long quote from each individual. For example: Starter Te

Robert and Barbara have very different perspectives regarding their divorce experience and their desire for co-parenting. Below is a summary that Robert wrote regarding his experience. "My divorce from my wife was final 2 months ago. I thought that the hard part of the divorce process would be over as soon as the papers were signed. However, I am now having trouble getting the access to my children that / would like to.

Below is a summary from Barbara's journal regarding her experience.

 "When we were married I could never get Bob to take responsibility for the children. I did everything for them. It was like I was a single parent years before the divorce. Now that we are divorce, all of a sudden, Bob wants to have scheduled time with our children. I just don't understand it.

Analysis of the case study referencing relevant research (approximately 2 page)

This section is an analysis of the case study based on relevant research. This requires a synthesis of the research, and application of research-based information to the specific case.  

O Based on research, the case study's experience can be described as typical, unusual, or a combination of the two. You may also identify: strengths, challenges, risks, and protective factors. This section of the research paper should include citations of at least 5 different sources, including:

1. At least two original research articles (as 2 of the 5 sources). This will require that you conduct a literature search (see the literature search presentation if you are not sure how to do this).

2. At least one citation of the book or other course reading (required or optional) that is included in the course modules. Note that the references for each of these readings are presented in the module where the reading is presented.

3. At least 2 other citations, which could be additional research articles or additional course readings. Note that if you cited one chapter from the Handbook of Divorce and Remarriage, you can also cite another chapter and count it as a second citation/reference. Below is an example about how you may introduce this section: The experience of Robert and Barbara is not unusual. It is common for couples to face challenges regarding co-parenting after a divorce (Author name, Author name, year). Fathers in particularly often report challenges gaining access to their children (Author, Author, year). Research regarding the experiences of mothers is often more mixed. Some research indicates that mothers play a role in limiting fathers access to their children (Author, Author, year), whereas other research suggest that there are some mothers who report having difficulty keeping divorced fathers involved in the lives of their mutual children (Author. Author, year). Conclusion paragraph