Constance R. Ahrons and Roy H. Rodgers

Divorced Families

Meeting the Challenge of Divorce and Remarriage

How ex-spouses can become cooperative colleagues instead of fiery foes.

After divorce a family does not cease to exist; the marital relationship may have ended, but the family relationships continue, particularly if there are children involved. This book describes some of the expectable difficulties for couples at different life cycle stages—those with young children, childless couples, and mid-life and aging couples—and offers guidance for making the most of the transition from separation to remarriage. Readers are likely to find the case studies and descriptions of four types of divorced spouses—"perfect pals," "cooperative colleagues," "angry associates," and "fiery foes"—particularly helpful.

"This book is most timely. . . . Divorce and separation are seen as a normative process rather than evidence of pathology or dysfunction. The shift from considering divorce as deviant to considering divorce as a process of reorganization lifts the implicit condemnation which is often made of couples who separate."—Holistic Medicine

"The first book to approach divorce as a state of normal adult development, beautifully analyzed and explained."—Paul Bohannan, Ph.D.

Constance R. Ahrons, Ph.D., is professor of sociology and associate director of the marriage and family therapy program at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She also has a family therapy practice in Santa Monica. Roy H. Rodgers, Ph.D., is professor of family science in the School of Family and Nutritional Sciences at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He is the author of Family Interaction and Transation: The Developmental Approach, the first book devoted to fully developing the family career theoretical model.

1989 / paperback / ISBN 0-393-30622-4 / 5-1/2" x 8-1/4" / 272 pages / Psychology