Introduction
Dissolution of marriage involves a wide range of factors, including communicative patterns, equal distribution of household workload, and parenting styles. This paper studies the situation of Yolanda and Mario, the couple whose marriage ended with divorce, through empirical research. Thus, we study their ideas about marital problems, their transformation into divorce, and the consequences of the mentioned events for grasping the marital dissolution phenomenon. Referring to empirical studies, researchers demonstrate the relevance of contextual variables, including stress, demands, and resources, in the evolution of marital life.
Description of the Case Study
The marriage of Yolanda and Mario was a struggle that resulted in two main issues: the distribution of roles and power within their home and financial problems. Yolanda’s role as the sole breadwinner placed her under immense pressure to provide for her family’s financial needs. Consequently, she felt stressed out and frustrated by the huge scale of corresponding responsibilities. Added to her already heavy portfolio of duties, she was forced to perform most household chores. Also, she cared for the kids, leaving her no time for herself or relaxation. The imbalance in their work division made Yolanda feel discontent and unsatisfied. She felt that her husband was treating her like a servant.
On the other hand, Mario battled with a sense of insufficiency and distress, grown by Yolanda’s sharp words and the complete absence of empathy displayed toward his problems. Although he offered his best help around the home, Mario’s efforts were overshadowed by Yolanda’s perceived insensitivity, which contributed to the couples’ communication gap and emotional detachment. A blow to Mario’s sense of self-worth and masculinity came, tearing the bond between them to the brink of divorce.
Analysis of the Case Study
It is worth noting that Yolanda and Mario’s experiences are consistent with the key findings from empirical research, including the stressors and the resource constraints that affect marital satisfaction and stability. The quote, “The stressful event brings the core issue to the surface when the demands are high (money, time) and resources are low (individual, family, community),” resonates deeply with the case scenario. As indicated, stressful events, high demands, and low resources give rise to adverse outcomes in relationships. This framework gives us a tool through which one can see the dynamics of Yolanda and Mario’s marriage and how those factors affected the road leading to their divorce.
The research article “Does unequal housework lead to divorce? Evidence from Sweden” enlightens us about how the unequal division of household labor can impact marital satisfaction and stability. Moreover, Yolanda’s experience of taking up the central role of housekeeping while balancing her full-time job resonates with the current study’s findings. This division of labor made Yolanda’s life more confusing, and her frustration and anger came from her inability to accomplish work and house tasks simultaneously. Besides, Mario’s non-recognition and unsupported actions further intensified the feelings of negativity in their relationship and gradually aggravated it. The study calls attention to the fluctuating impact of unfair division of housework on emotional relations, therefore underlining how vital gender equality is in the marriage process (Ruppanner et al., 2018). An imbalance, as in the case of Yolanda and Mario, can lead to severe stress on the marital relationship, to which the only alternative is the divorce if it is not worked out.
The study by Ventura-León et al. (2023) is designed to investigate the complex interactions of relationship maintenance, satisfaction, jealousy, and violence between young couples. They outline the role of communication and conflict resolution in forming a prosperous marriage that can last many years. However, this is not the case with the study, and the conflicts remain unresolved; the marriage of Yolanda and Mario is shown as a different story. Yolanda had no interest in intimacy as her husband continued to withdraw from the dispute. On the other hand, he was offended and frustrated after Yolanda spoke insulting and unfair sentences to him. These communication troubles probably worsened their marital relationship, and there was much tension in their house. Lack of the right methods to solve problems and be hurt in love ultimately involves divorce. The findings demonstrate that marriage communication should be supportive and open for tackling problems and improving the satisfaction of the relationship (Ventura-León et al., 2023). It is the scene when the communication breakdowns and their adverse effects are illustrated by the characters of Yolanda and Mario that emphasizes the connection between the communication-friendly couples who resolve conflicts and their relationship.
For the Abreu-Afonso et al. (2022) study, the proposed model provides a platform for the nuances of marital satisfaction, encompassing various factors that influence relationship dynamics over the years. Through the analysis of modes of communication, please focus on the need and how it underpins the relationship and understand the different stages. The family life cycle is one of the ways the model can offer critical information regarding how marriage works and how the relationship sustains itself (Abreu et al., 2022). In this case, Yolanda and Mario can visualize the antecedent events that fomented the degrading of their unity and consequently led them to the present stage of divorce. Through the analysis of their communication channels, along with digging out their motivations for being together and finding their position across the family life cycle, maybe there are many things that we can know about the difficulties of their marriage and help to figure out the solutions to the breakdown of their marriage.
The research conducted by Moreno Méndez et al. (2020) clearly remarks on the importance of parenting styles in children’s conduct and marital satisfaction. The critical elements for successful co-parenting are the cooperation of parents and parents’ collaboration, while positive child outcomes and marital stability depend on them. However, Yolanda and Mario struggled to develop an excellent co-parenting relationship and solve the problems with how childcare would be shared. Both opposing beliefs towards childrearing would probably have weakened the relationship and added to the existing marital concerns (Moreno Méndez et al., 2020). The ineffectiveness of communication and cooperation in performing the role of parents may have been one reason the marital relationship was not satisfying, and this then led them to seek divorce. Thus, it is essential to emphasize the importance of cooperation in co-parenting to maintain marital contentment and family stability. Yolanda and Mario’s example underlines the need for couples to apply all cooperative parenting methods to reduce the number of conflicts and tighten the bond within the couple’s relationship.
The class reading highlights that background variables of relationships, including stressors, demands, and resources, shape marital outcomes. The experience of Yolanda and Mario has something in common with the quotation, which reveals that stress in a relationship takes shape when the economic burden is high and resources are scarce. Their marriage experienced financial strain, an imbalance of work sharing, and communication issues, which all added up to increased marital dissatisfaction and later divorce. Besides the classical empirical research, the longitudinal studies provide even more critical information about marital processes and stability. The material from the “Handbook of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution” that we read during the class reveals the findings from the longitudinal research about the prognostic role of commitment to the relationship and its contribution to marital satisfaction and dyadic adjustment (Mark & John, 2006). However, it is also important to note that neglecting to examine and fix the core issues of the relationship could have been one of the causes of the collapse of Yolanda and Mario’s marriage. Commitment is vital to marriage stability; more than staying together, unresolved problems like communication gaps, unequal sharing of labor, and conflicts may need to be overcome. No matter how determined a couple may be, the absence of measures geared at addressing the originating factors may significantly undermine the longevity of their relationship.
Conclusion
Yolanda and Mario’s separate experiences accent the complex nature of marital dissolution. Their marriage was hallmarked with vast volumes of stress, unbalanced distraction from work, communication gaps, and incompetent co-parenting. The quote, which highlights the influence of stressors, inevitable demands, and limited resources on relationship dynamics, precisely expresses their situation. With the help of factual research, we discover the reasons that cause dissatisfaction in marriage and divorce. From now on, we must remember the connection between individual, family, or cultural influence in marital outcomes. Interventions to address couples with marital struggles should highlight the stressors as their root cause, promote effective communication and conflict resolution, and create a positive parenting environment. By incorporating empirical findings into clinical practice, we can reflect deeper on what is associated with marital disruption and know how to provide individualized interventions to help couples during the breakup.
References
Abreu-Afonso, J., Ramos, M. M., Queiroz-Garcia, I., & Leal, I. (2022). How does a couple’s relationship last over time? A model for marital satisfaction. Psychological reports, 125(3), 1601-1627. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00332941211000651
Mark A. Fine, & John H. Harvey. (2006). Handbook of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution. Psychology Press.” pg. 204
Moreno Méndez, J. H., Espada Sánchez, J. P., & Gómez Becerra, M. I. (2020). Role of parenting styles in children’s internalizing, externalizing, and adjustment problems. Salud mental, 43(2), 73-84. http://repository.ukwms.ac.id/id/eprint/29732/
Ruppanner, L., Brandén, M., & Turunen, J. (2018). Does unequal housework lead to divorce? Evidence from Sweden. Sociology, 52(1), 75-94. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0038038516674664
Ventura-León, J., Lino-Cruz, C., Caycho-Rodríguez, T., & Córdova-Robles, C. (2023). Maintenance in relationships, satisfaction, jealousy, and violence in young couples: a network analysis. BMC psychology, 11(1), 385. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40359-023-01411-z
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