“All happy families resemble one other, but each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” – Leo Tolstoy.
Indeed how true it is. Each unhappy family has its own particular set of problems, disappointments and frustrations that over the period add to its sorrow and misery. Everybody wishes his/her family to be a paragon of joy and bliss. Yet, the vicissitudes of time spare only a lucky few and those left are to face the consequences unleashed by a thousand faults and frailties, which are the integral part of human nature. Navigating a successful marriage demands a lot of adjustment, understanding and flexibility on the part of both the spouses. However, all do not prove to be equal to this challenging responsibility and give up somewhere on the way. Things become unbearable, tolerance levels plummet down, doubts and acrimony creep in and the whole concept of marital bliss appears to be a cheap joke by some heartless clown. It seems as if the life has come to a standstill and the only way to break this inertia is to split apart. There is a whole array of reasons that may lead to a divorce in a family. Some of the common reasons for termination of marriage are discussed as follows:
Emotional Abuse
Often either or both the partners fail to respond to each others feelings and emotions in an appropriate manner. It may happen owing to a variety of reasons. Often one of the partners may be sensitive while the other may be callous or outright boorish. Prolonged exposure to harsh behaviour and insensitive attitude, marked by a lack of mutual understanding and empathy may snap the last link in the chain of tolerance and give way to a divorce.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is a form of abuse of power. One of the spouses may become overtly aggressive and resort to physical abuse. Things get worsened by a willingness on the part of the abused spouse to take it lying down. The abusive spouse often stands justified in his/her own perception and genuinely believes that his/her partner deserves to be chastised physically. However, a stage comes when the things become unbearable and lead to a divorce.
Extramarital Affairs
Sex is often not merely about sex only. A friction or distance between the two spouses may induce either of them to resort to an extramarital affair. Occasionally the couple may manage to bring the things back on the track through communication and cooperation. Sometimes the same levels of trust and affection may not be reestablished and may cause the breakup of a marriage.
Plain Boredom
Sometimes people tend to harbor a highly eulogized romantic notion of love. These beliefs are carried into married life. The daily household responsibilities and commitments may seem to be boring before those notions of a romantic bliss and may force a partner to look beyond the marriage for thrill and excitement. The thing to be remembered is that romance can be brought into marital life by being a little innovative and creative.
Substance Abuse by a Partner
Addiction to drugs and alcohol can often wreck a marriage. The addicted spouse lives with an altered and imbalanced state of mind and is unable to fulfill his/her marital duties. Substance abuse inevitably has a financial aspect associated with it, which may deteriorate the living conditions of the family.
Lack of Intimacy
Sometimes the intimacy between spouses isn’t strong enough, compounded by a communication gap between the two. The unresolved issues tend to augment over a period of time, which may lead to conflict and acrimony. Opting for marital counseling may sometimes rescue the situation, if backed by sincere efforts by the couple.
Drifting Apart With Time
The two spouses may not harbor any ill will or hatred towards each other, but, simply drift apart owing to their career pursuits or other reasons. Marriage in such a scenario seems to be like living with a complete stranger and a divorce appears to be the only way out.
Husband Not Earning Enough
Research has verified this fact that families with low household incomes are more prone to discord and have a more than average chances of ending in a divorce.
Wife Neglects the House
Often the husbands fail to take into consideration, the reversal of gender roles in contemporary society. Archaic expectations of the wives, especially when they are also pursuing a career may lead to disharmony and divorce.
