Script+and+Reflection

As I was trying to come up with topics that I could possible pursue for my Sociology project, I looked within certain facets of my life. What interested me that I would like to know more about? I thought about my own experiences and I also thought about the experiences of close friends. Earlier, my friend and I had been discussing a recent episode of //Parenthood//, a show on NBC that details that lives of an extended family. Each family has its own stories, issues, and challenges, but all these details are interwoven among each household. This got me thinking about my own friends and our families and how our lives overlap.

Many of my friends have gone through divorce. They have lived through the changes and the challenges, the step-families, and the changing household. And now, we flip on the television or open a book and we see similar issues reflecting on our screens and in print. Stories of single moms and changing family dynamics have become a common part of many areas of the media. Pop culture adapts to the times in order to stay relatable to the average person, but as I began researching divorce, I wondered whether pop culture itself has shifted the population’s outlook on family relationships.

Over the years, the media has popularized divorce as early as the 1970s. //An American Family// was a reality television show that chronicled the everyday lives of the Loud family from Santa Barbara, California. In the ninth episode of a twelve-episode series, the father returns from a business trip only to be confronted by his wife. She explains that she talked to a lawyer and would like him to move out of their house. More recent movies and books chronicle the lives of divorcees. Movies like //Under the Tuscan Sun// and //Eat, Pray, Love// follow female characters after brutal break-ups and show them rediscovering the meaning of life after divorce.

All of the previous information addresses how adults cope with divorce, but another important part of a divorce is how it affects the children involved in the situation. We learn in psychology that what happens in childhood can have a great effect on the child’s development. Therefore, how parents agree to address their break-up to their children can influence how the children cope with the situation and its after effects on them. A great resource on this topic entitled, “The Consequences of Divorce for Adults and Children,” explains how specific factors influence individual adjustment after divorce and discusses some of the long and short term effects. Another great source, __Divorce: Young People Caught in the Middle__, provides a personal account of the development of two sisters' lives after a divorce, while also providing additional information on what happens before, during, and after a divorce.

The change in attitude toward divorce must be noted. Fifty years ago, it would be rare to know a family in the neighborhood affected by divorce. Now, businesses have been created to celebrate change in relationship status. People throw divorce parties and even have ring burials for rings of past husbands. On one hand this new mindset creates a more open environment for families going through divorce. No longer does a person have to be ashamed to say that they are going through divorce. Children may see similar situations reflected in the media and it may make them feel like they are not alone on that issue. At the same time, the media should not necessarily make marriage into a lackadaisical process that is easily escaped. Either way, I hope the sources I have provided will be of use to further research and discuss this topic.