Divorce as bifurcation: redefining a nuclear system
Loading...
Authors
Ferreira Da Costa, Talita Maria
Issue Date
2007-04
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
Divorce , Family system , Family reorganization , Relationships , Couples , Consequences and adjustment , Resilience , Chaos theory , Change , Bifurcation , Methodology , Post Modernism , Social Constructionism , Qualitative research , Hermeneutics , Ethics
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to explore the nature of dynamic relationships within families, and indicating how the decision to divorce may result from a family's difficulty in adjusting to new changes and stressors. Thus, divorce results in the redefinition of a nuclear system.
This study made use of social constructionism as its epistemological framework. By means of in-depth one-on-one interviews, the researcher was able to hear the narratives of all six participants. Hermeneutics was used to analyze the data.
The participants' stories were reencountered through the researcher's own frame of reference in which common themes of the divorce process were co-constructed. These themes were later elaborated on and a comparative analysis was undertaken to link them to the available literature.
The information gained from the study could contribute to existing research on the impact of divorce, family reorganization following a divorce, and offer a new perspective in understanding family systems.
Description
Citation
Ferreira Da Costa, Talita Maria (2007) Divorce as bifurcation: redefining a nuclear system, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/2218>