Running Head: MARRIAGES ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES: ANALYSIS OF CHAPTER 151

MARRAIGES ARE DROPPING LIKE FLIES: ANALYSIS OF CHAPTER 154

Marriages are Dropping Like Flies: Analysis of Chapter 15Anna McTaggartBethel College Marriage and Family Class

Divorce is an ugly matter. It affects everyone surrounding the couple getting the divorce, and it can have many different reasons behind it. When analyzing why a couple gets divorced, it is key that one assess all the causes and all the repercussions that their decision will have on the environment around them.According to our authors, about 1 million divorces happen every year (Knox). That fact sounds about accurate to me since most people I come in contact with have someone in their close family and friends who have gotten a divorce. I know many people in my own network who have gotten divorces. It has become much more prevalent than it used to be back in the day. People do not understand the sanctity of marriage like they did back in the past. It makes me sad to think of all the marriages that started out so determined and in love that have now fallen apart.The authors mention that some people end their marriages in order to end an unsatisfactory relationship (Knox). This is odd to me because it seems to me that a relationship is what you make of it. If you continue to care for and nurture a relationship even after the wedding, it will continue to grow. I also believe that love is a choice and once you enter, you can never truly leave. Once you choose to love someone, youve decided that for life. You will always be connected to someone that you marry, even if you divorce after a short time.While reading the chapter, I was surprised that the authors chose to put affair in the micro factors for divorce (Knox). Extramarital affairs are a big deal, and it seems like that would be a major contributor to why someone would not want to continue in a marriage. According to the authors, 33% of people said that an affair would be a deal breaker for a marriage. It seems to me that more people actually see it as a big deal then they let on.There is a section in the chapter titled Top Thirty Factors Associated with Divorce. The first one mentioned is courting less than two years (Knox). This one makes complete sense to me. I have many friends who date for a very short time and think that marriage will work for them. It seems to me that marriage will work if you have known each other, and only dating for a short time means that you have not gotten to know the other person as well as you could. The longer you date, the longer you understand the overall workings of your partners life. Divorce has become much more common these days, but that does not mean that the reasons behind it are any better. If couples think about all the factors that play into divorce before they choose to get married, it can better proof their marriage from falling into those traps.

ReferencesKnox, D., & Schacht, C. (n.d.). Love. In Choices in Relationships: An Introduction to Marriage and the Family (11th ed., pp. 64-90). Wadsworth Cenage Learning.