Whose Decision Was It? The Effects of Initiator Status on Adjustment to Marital Disruption

The role of initiator status was examined in terms of its mediating effect on adjustment to marital disruption. It was hypothesized that initiators (persons who indicated taking major or exclusive responsibility for deciding to end their marriages), in contrast to noninitiators, would have been more...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of marriage and family 1984-08, Vol.46 (3), p.587-595
Main Authors: Pettit, Ellen J., Bloom, Bernard L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment/Adjustments
Demography
Disrupt/Disruption/Disruptive
Divorce
Husbands
Locus of control
Marriage/Marriages/Marital
Men
Reconciliation
Self concept
Separated status
Sex linked differences
Spouses
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Summary:The role of initiator status was examined in terms of its mediating effect on adjustment to marital disruption. It was hypothesized that initiators (persons who indicated taking major or exclusive responsibility for deciding to end their marriages), in contrast to noninitiators, would have been more aware of marital dissatisfaction and preseparation stress-related symptoms, would have been more in favor of the decision to separate, and would report fewer postseparation symptoms and more postseparation life satisfaction. Findings, based on a sample of 144 persons interviewed on three occasions following their separations, suggested that there were not overwhelming differences in marital dissatisfaction or preseparation discomfort between initiators and noninitiators but that initiators consistently perceived more benefits to the separation. In most cases in which being the initiator appeared to play a mediating role in postseparation adjustment, its effects were more pronounced in the case of women than of men.
ISSN:0022-2445
1741-3737
DOI:10.2307/352600