EFFECT OF DIVORCE ON THE PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD
ABSTRACT
The central object of this study was to determine the effect of divorce on a child’s personality development; the study was carried out in five schools with 100 students randomly selected from SS1.
Four hypotheses were formulated and tested using the chi-square statistical analysis. It was found that parents’ divorce affects their children’s academic performance.
It was also found that parental separation tends to affect children with anti-social personalities.
It was therefore recommended, among others, that parents should come as much as possible and try to keep the home together as the home environment affects children psychologically and socially.
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
According to the Advanced Learner Dictionary of current English fourth edition (1989), Divorce means the legal ending of marriage so that husband and wife are no longer in a union of marriage.
In studying causes of Divorce concerning Christian, traditional and Islamic marriage, their causes are so much in common because they all involve sexual union and states of offspring though in other respect, these relationships are fundamentally different, and the laws governing them, according to Philip (1993) that is so because what lead to Divorce in both religions might be different from one another.
Marriage is an established practice in all human societies Philip (1993); for example, in Nigeria, whether a marriage is traditional or modern, if the couples are initially meeting, then courtship or engagement takes place, which a white wedding might follow. Though in some typical traditional marriages, marriage does not occur as a union based on romantic love (Hensting, 1990), beautifying good character and good health are sought in the choice of a wife.
The strong affection that normally exists alters some years of every successful marriage is the product of marriage which are the children and marriage itself conceived as a process resulting from living together and cooperating in many activities, particularly in the upbringing of children Best (1991) among some functions of marriage more serving the purpose of uniting not just the individuals but he families as well Brower (1993). It also regulates sexual relations in society and companionship and creates the home environment in which a family is raised.
Divorce produced a negative effect on a child’s personality development.
Gulbar (1990) says that the home environment contributes a lot to the upbringing of children, but mutual love and tolerance appear to be the most important for every individual character is unique in that no two persons can have the same characteristics Gulbar (1990). This non-acceptance of the uniqueness of character results in divorce Akande (1986).
It is important to note that a courtship period does not eradicate this problem, even if it is months or years. And no amount of compatibility in the couples can eradicate conflicts in the home. Therefore, the home reflects the society Loyola [1988], so if the home is sick, the symptoms will be expressed in society. The problem in Nigerian society today can not be unconnected with home; if the individual in the society is sick, then the society will be sick also; conflict in the home must be properly resolved, for if not, it can cause Divorce.
Recent happenings in society, particularly in the area of the family problem, demanded that we seek a better understanding of the family behavioural problems being manifested in various ways in the child’s personality. Nigeria’s society is full of youths who find it difficult to cope with life situations. Leigh (1993) Causal observation revealed that some of these children exhibit deviant behaviour both in and outside the home Akande (1986). It is a simple truth that the home can either make or unmake the child in learning. That is to say that a good home will in variably make the child while a divorced home mars the child’s personality development Akande (1986).
Looking around our society today, one would see that many homes are in disarray because of certain factors that can be attributed to either the man or the woman. Leigh (1993) maintained that many homes had been broken because either the husband or the wife or both have broken the marriage vows and have been quality of sexual infidelity. While Iyiola (1988) further stated that most marriages break up because the contracting parties enter it regarding the sanctity of a home, the groups that innocently pay the high price for the infidelity of the two players in these issues of marriage who find themselves trapped in the strange world of separated parents are the children.
Hensting (1990) observed that if Divorce were prevented, our society would be free of delinquent children, for in the society are the product of broken homes and victims of the cruel decision of separation between couples, Grauban (1983) sand that in our school system the children from divorced homes are the set of students who shows deviant behaviour that is not under the accepted rules and regulations of the school. They are usually seen as students who are not obeying the school authority and not doing their homework, thereby performing poorly in their academic work and eventually dropping out of school.
1.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Development has a universal definition. This is so because development has different types of definitions depending on the perspective of the definer.
According to Okwudiha Nuoli, development is a phenomenon associated with changes in man’s humanity and creative energy. According to him, it is the lasting improvement in the capacity of the individual and societies for their benefit and that of humanity applied.
He also went further to say that it is a process of actualizing man’s inherent capacity to live a better and more rewarding life.
To Micheal P. Todaro, development implies “both a physical reality and a state of mind in which society has through some combination of social, economy and institutional process secure the means for obtaining a better life.
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The effects of divorce on the child’s personality development in our society can not be ruled out because it has been perceived over the years that a school could not perform well in most external examinations. Also, there have been complaints from different quarters, e.g. community parents and organizations, on the issue of failure, and various solutions have been proffered, but the solutions are inadequate. So this study would shed more light on how Divorce affects child personality development because Bower. So the purpose of this study is to find out the effects of Divorce on the child’s personality development; in effect, this study is designed to find out whether academic performance as one of the child’s personality development is affected by the separation of parents.
This research work also intends to investigate how the separation of the spouses has influenced a child’s personality development. It also hopes to suggest or offer suggestions and recommendations that are necessary to reinforce love and understanding.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
- Is there any significant difference in the academic behaviour of students from broken homes and those from intact homes?
- Is there any significant difference in the personality development of children from broken homes and those from intact homes?
- Is there any significant difference between parental conflicts and the child’s personality development?
- Is there any significant difference in parents’ socioeconomic status and the child’s personality development
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
The following research hypothesis will be tested.
- There will be no significant difference in the academic behaviour of students from broken homes and those from intact homes.
- There will be no significant difference in the personality developments of children from broken homes and those from intact homes.
- There will be no significant differences in the personality development of children from divorced homes and those from intact homes.
- There will be no significant differences in the parent’s socioeconomic status and the child’s personality development.
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The implication of this study is to probe into the poor academic performance of students with emphasis on the child at home.
This investigation, therefore, has practiced usefulness on student achievement and parents, teachers and the government.
For the parents, it will help them have good parental care and a good attitude towards their children’s education. To the teachers, it will help them note the students’ differences. For the government, it poses the challenge to arrest the various factors such as socioeconomic disaster, which always lead to the Divorce of many young couples in our societies.
1.8 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study would be the Divorce home and the child’s personality. A study of this nature should involve many schools from different local governments. However, due to funding and time constraints, this study will be limited to some selected schools in the Ojo local government area of Lagos State.
1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Divorce; According to the Advanced learner’s dictionary of current English 4th edition (1989) defined Divorce as the putting an end to marriage by law or legal ending of marriage so that husband and wife and free to many again Personality Development:- According to Allpot (1961) personality development as the dynamic organization is the individual of those psychological systems that determines his unique adjustment to his enormous.
Also, a publication by National Teachers Institute Kaduna (1990) stated that personality is those traits or attributes that have been found or observed to be stable or constraint with an individual and make him unique or different from any person; This includes his thoughts, behaviour, feelings and emotions while development has to do with changes in size form or function due to maturation and learning.
Marriage: According to the Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English 4th Edition (1989), marriage is a union of a man and a woman as husband and wife.
Also, the Holy Bible defines marriage as the coming together of a man and a woman to become one (Gen 2:24)
Socioeconomic Status: According to the Macmillan school dictionary, socioeconomic involves a combination of social and economic elements; This is the level of social development and parents’ financial status as a factor in a child’s personality development.
