Relationship between Exspouses

Individual and Dyadic Perspectives

Bibliographic Data

ID2933738
AuthorsAnne-Marie Ambert (York University), Anne‐marie Ambert (York University, corresponding author)
Year1988
Volume5
Issue3
Pages327-346
Publication date1988-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Social and Personal Relationships (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0265-4075 • E-ISSN: 1460-3608
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0265407588053004
OpenAlexW2155492457
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited14

The ex-spousal relationship is one which is not frequently researched, in part because of the methodological difficulties inherent to interviewing both ex-spouses. In this exploratory report on 85 ex-couples, we found an impressive level of agreement concerning the normative aspects of the ex-spousal relationship. At the behavioral level, no matter how the data were analysed, post-marital harmony was a minority phenomenon. Contacts between ex-spouses were rare. One-third of ex-spouses with children never saw each other. Lower-SES persons were less likely to fulfill their co-parental role than were higher-SES persons. Feelings for the ex-spouse were affected by the presence of children. We also examined perceptions of the ex-spouses' feelings for self. We compared ex-couples congruent in terms of feelings with non-congruent ex-couples. Only 13 percent of the ex-spouses were congruent on friendliness. They were then compared with ex-spouses congruent on dislike. We conclude with a discussion of the concept of successful divorces and present hypotheses for larger-scale studies

Developmental psychology · Feeling · Normative · Perception · Sociology · Spouse · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Psychology · Social Psychology

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