ABSTRACT
Marriage
is the institution in society in which a man and woman are joined in a special
kind of social and legal dependence to found and maintain a family. It is the
building block of human society, and when the foundation
of society is weakened, considerable damage results. Therefore, the growth of any society
depends largely on the ability of the family institution to perform its role
effectively. Due to westernization, urbanization and civilization, marriage has
suffered so many breakdowns which can be caused by so many factors
such as socio-economic, cultural, legal, social, psycho-social amongst others.
The breakdown of marriage among couples gave birth to the rise of marital
instability. Marital instability occurs when two couples are no longer in
agreement with each other which could result to either separation or divorce.
Certain characteristics are therefore attributed to marital instability e.g.
low level of communication between spouses, physical confrontation with
wife etc. Women are often threatened with the ability
to perform and relate effectively in marriage when their husband do not meet to
their expectations of what they look forward to in their marital life. It is
the things they hold on to, which guide and sustains them throughout their stay
in marriage. The feelings and thoughts of the husband not being able to meet up
to the wife's expectation therefore grow overtime and affects he social relationship
between spouses. Research has shown that a regular occurrence of this
would eventually lead to a break down in marriage. It is in this regard that
studying the Psycho-social factors influencing marital instability becomes very
important. This paper seeks to provide an insight into how
psycho-social factors such as spousal communication, spousal's attachment
pattern, parental marriage and in-law's involvement affect marriages. The paper
is anchored on attachment theory as its main
theory vis-a-vis social learning theory and social exchange theory. A study was
carried out among ever married women in Ajah, Eti-osa, LGA,
Lagos as the cross-sectional survey and non-survey method served as a method of
data collection for valid conclusions. The findings of the study showed that
psycho-social factors could affect marital instability. Furthermore, there was
a relationship between women who had low level of communication with their
husband and marital instability. The study also revealed that women's
attachment pattern with their husband is not a key determinant to marital
instability. It also revealed that women decision making are not necessarily
affected by in-laws involvement in marriage. In addition, parental marital
background has nothing to do with women when being confronted with marital
issues. One of the recommendations proffered was, couple should engage in
frequent communication even under unbearable circumstance because it eases off
stress and tension.
TABLE OF CONTENT
PAGES
Cover page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Table of Content v
Abstract
vi
CHAPTER
ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the Study 1
1.2 Statement
of the Problem 7
1.3 Research
Questions 11
1.4 Objectives
of the Study 11
1.5 Scope
of the Study 11
1.6 Significance
of the Study 12
1.7 Conceptual
Clarifications 12
CHAPTER
TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 Introduction
15
2.1 Spousal’s
Attachment Pattern and Marital Instability 16
2.2 Spousal
Communication and Marital Instability 22
2.3 Parental
Marital Background and Marital Instability 24
2.4 Inlaw’s
Involvement and Marital Instability 28
2.5 Research
Hypotheses 30
CHAPTER
THREE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
3.0 Introduction
31
3.1 Attachment
Theory (A Sociological Theory) by John Bowlby 31
3.2 Social
Learning Theory (A Psychological Theory) by Bandura 33
3.3 Social
Exchange Theory (A Sociological Theory) by Peter Blau 35
3.4 Test
of Hypothesis 37
CHAPTER
FOUR: METHODOLOGY
4.0 Research
Methodology 38
4.1 The
Research Design 38
4.2 The
Study Location 38
4.3 The
Study Population 39
4.4 Sample
Size 39
4.5 Sampling
Technique 39
4.6 Research
Instruments 41
4.7 Method
of Data Analysis 43
CHAPTER
FIVE: DATA ANALYIS/FINDINGS
5.0 Data
Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation 44
5.1 Section
A: Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Respondent 44
5.2 Section
B: Experience of Marital Instability of Respondents 47
5.3 Section C: Spousal Communication of the Respondents 50
5.4 Section D: Issues in Parental Marital Background of
the Respondents 53
5.5 Section E: Attachment Pattern of the
Respondents 57
5.6 Section F: In-Law's Involvement In The
Marriage Of The Respondents 60
5.7 Test of Hypotheses 63
CHAPTER SIX: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Summary 69
6.2 Conclusion 70
6.3 Recommendations 71
References 73
Appendix 83
Questionnaire 84
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
According to Gove
(1986), marriage is described as the state of being united with a person of the
opposite sex as husband or wife; the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and
legal dependence for the purpose founding and maintaining a family; an act of marrying or rite by which the married status is affected. It is the
building block of human society, and when the foundation of society is
weakened, considerable damage results. Therefore, the growth of any society
depends largely on the ability of the family institution to perform its role
effectively.
Ayodele (2001)
defines marriage as the union of a man and his wife in body and soul. It
is the institution in society in which a man and woman are joined in a special
kind of social and legal dependence to found and maintain a family.
Notwithstanding, the purpose for marriage is far more important than the mere legalized sexual relationship among spouses
(Agbutuin, 1990). To this end, Yahaya (1998) opined that in marriage, there are
lots of stresses, bitterness, failures and successes. Other factors that
threaten marital stability include age of marriage, educational level of
spouse, religion, income, type of marriage, fertility status, kind of family
background of spouses, communication,
culture, etc. From the foregoing, a lot of researches on marital instability
show that many factors are responsible for the misnomer in marital union.
The term marital
instability is used to refer to the process whereby marriages break down
through separation, desertion or divorce and where relevant to the subsequent
re-partnering of the individual are concerned. Separation and legal divorce are
social phenomenon which is caused by
the couples involved, and which could either result from social, economic,
psychological or cultural phenomenon. Many marriages remain shaky for a very
long time; some of them recover equilibrium and become cohesive again, this
shaky period may lead to separation.
Nearly everyone
begins their marriage with a high level of satisfaction with their relationship
and a high level of optimism for the future. Yet, marriages end in a divorce
for many couples, while marital satisfaction declines over time for even more
couples. People tend to fall prey to the confirmation bias, they tend to be
more optimistic about themselves than for other, and they tend to interpret
facts in a way that supports their desired view of the world.
There are hundreds
of factors which are responsible for marital instability in the world today. They
range from several factors; social issues, psychological issues, economical
issues, cultural issue, biological issues, emotional issues, spiritual issues,
amongst others. Even some are as a result of the combination of two factors. The term ‘marital
instability’ is a very vast and broad topic. Therefore focusing on a
key factor responsible for marital instability can give us a good guide on what
the term "marital instability" is all about.
Women's
relationship with their partners is grounded on several factors best known to
them (Psychological expectations some of which includes; regular income, sexual
satisfaction, paternal responsibility and equity). These factors are what they
take to their
relationship which serves as homeostasis. It is the things they hold on to,
which guide and sustains them throughout
their stay in marriage. Women are usually satisfied in marriage when their
needs are being met by their husband, and
when their expectations and desires are being met and satisfied. Now, when there's a conflict between
the expectations of a woman in marriage and the present outcome, this would
definitely lead to a breakdown in their social interaction with their spouse. At this stage, women tend to be so
stubborn, inconsiderate, less communicative and unresponsive to their partner. Indirectly, this is to say that their
psychosocial system now shapes their behaviour. Research has shown that a
regular occurrence of this would eventually lead to a break down in marriage.
Psychosocial
factors as a phenomenon are behavioural issues which arise from problems
or social problems in a society which shapes or affects the social functioning
of an individual in society. Psychosocial factors deals majorly with the study
of how and why people think, feel and do the things they do depending
upon the situation they are in. It involves studying the impact that the social
environment and group interactions have on people's attitudes and behaviours towards
others. Having said all that, psychosocial factors are those factors that are
responsible for the behavioural change of an individual toward a person or
groups of persons. Therefore, the word “psychosocial” in this context can best
be explained as; how a woman's personal behaviour about situations in
marriage affects her external behaviour towards her husband.
This study will therefore be aimed at
looking at the some of the psychosocial factors that influences marital
instability. It aims to breakdown these factors and explain how and why women
act the way they do before marital dissolutions. Also, to look deeply into the consequences an implications of
these and how they affect the development of any
society. The psychosocial factors that will be examined therefore are;
level of spousal communication, type of attachment patterns between spouses,
parental marital background of the wife, and lastly, rate of in-law's
involvement.
Spousal Communication as a social
factor involves the communication pattern that goes between a woman and her
husband. Communication therefore can be seen as "the imparting or
interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or
signs". It can also be referred to as the process used by people to create
and manage relationships. A marriage without effective communication is likely
to crumble. Communication is a life wire of marriage relationship or any other
meaningful relationship (Esere, 2002, 2006). Spousal communication is a
critical element in marriage as it is an inevitable requirement before the
commencement of the relationship and also necessary for the sustenance of the
union. Communication is the heart of intimate human relationship and the
foundation on which all other relationships are built; they also assert that it
is the key to a successful couple relationship. In fact, the ability and the
willingness to communicate have been found to be among the most important
factors in maintaining a satisfying relationship.
Attachment pattern as a psychosocial
factor is very important in any marriage. A growing number of studies suggest
that, among individuals in relationships, attachment style/pattern is a
significant predictor of relationship satisfaction. In Bowlby's work on
attachment pattern, there are two major categories of attachment pattern
between two individuals in a relationship, and he also laid emphasis on the
categories of attachment pattern that could either sustain or destroy a particular relationship. These
patterns are secure attachment pattern and insecure attachment pattern. The
secure attachment simply explains that, a partner
with this type of attachment pattern are open to people, extroverts in nature,
share feelings with their partners; securely
attached adults would be more tolerant, less reactive, and prefer smaller
interpersonal distances. Insecure attachment pattern on the other hand is
categorized into two; the avoidant attachment pattern and the ambivalent
attachment pattern. An avoidant and ambivalent attached individuals seek
emotional distance and extreme closeness, respectively. When a woman is loosely
attached to her husband, such woman tend to share secrets, find difficulty in sharing marital problems, such individual
can hardly cope or bear unplanned circumstances.
Parental marital background of a
particular partner is a psychosocial factor that shapes and develops one's
personality as one grows. As certain behaviours, characteristics and traits are
said to be emulated from either the father or the mother. It is also of
importance to know that the parental marital background of an individual
greatly shapes a couples perception about
life, perception of other people and how to cope and deal with situations that
arises from one's social environment.
The effect of parental marital background on individuals is quite worrisome
these days, as some researchers have tried drawing a link between a partner's
parental marital background and their stability in marriage. The word `family
background' would have been more preferable but the context is very broad as it
entails issues like, single parent, family structure
(polygamous e.t.c), educational background, literacy level, parental marital
background, family's social and economic status. Therefore, the area of
interest to me is parental marital background. Some researchers have gone to
the point of showing a clear relationship between a partner whose parent has either separated, divorced or being
single and their stability in marriage
with their future partners. Women whose parents have separated or divorced tend
to have- higher level of marital instability than their male
counterpart, and the reason why this is so cannot still be fully explained, as
there are result which also shows that men are as well influenced by their
parental marital background which affects their marital stability.
In-Law's Involvement in marriages, is a
psychological trend that runs through so many
families all over the world today, leading to serious damages in any dyadic
relationship. Marriages are meant for two and not three; decisions in marriages
are meant for two and not three, because most times, the presence or
interference of a third person in marriage is
often powerful than even the two partners involve, as a partner might be
influenced by the third party. According to Bowen (1978) and Friedman (1985),
the involvement of a third party in a relationship
is as a way of diffusing some of the
pressure and tension between the couple and can have a negative effect on the couple's relationship. One major problem
most women find hard to cope with in marriage is, when the husband is not
strong enough to confront her, scold her, and talk to her but rather reporting
to his in-law without her consent. This problem affects most women
psychologically, and therefore shapes their interaction to their husband and
their marriage socially. At this point, most marriages are usually
irredeemable.
1.2 STATEMENT OF
THE PROBLEM
Overtime in the
history of marriage, women have been known to be the major problems of marital
instability in every home, because society sees them as solely responsible for
every marital instability in society. In some relationships, some women often
claim they feel cheated, neglected, uncared for, maltreated or abused by their
husbands, therefore they prefer being independent or getting a new life with a
man who would show them affection, love, care, support; a man who would
understand the way they think, show empathy, a man
who can communicate effectively with them, a
man who can meet their emotional and sexual needs and also, a man who can take
good care of them and more importantly, they would love to create a life of
their own without any interference from anyone. All these factors, put together
affects women's decision and attitude in marriage, and also shapes their
thoughts which and makes them either
submissive or responsive in marriage or vice-versa.
In essence, psychosocial factors
influencing marital instability arises from the way women observe situations in
marriages in respect to their feelings, thoughts, belief, culture and
personality. Now, when there's a conflict or misunderstanding between a woman's feelings, thoughts, belief,
culture, personality and her spouse, she tend to create behaviours, attitudes
and certain responses which then shapes her social behaviour towards her
spouse, and as a result of this, terms
like marital disengagement, marital dissolution, marital instability, divorce
come to being.
Communication in every relationship is very essential to the partners involved,
as a breakdown in the communication processor pattern between two spouses could
result to deep crises between both partners. Studies have revealed that one of
the top five issues generating conflict in marriage is communication (Ekot and
Usoro, 2006; Anyakoha and James, 2004). The level of spousal communication
between couple often determine the success and failure of that marriage. Tanner
(1990) in Santrock (2002) observed that lack of communication was high on
women's reasons for divorce whereas for men it was insignificant. This is to
say that certain life situations between a woman and her husband influences the
rate of spousal communication between
them. This 'situations could either be positive or negative, but whichever way it
is, a woman's communication with her spouse could either be psychological or
social.
Due to economic hardship from complex
economies/societies, spousal's attachment
seems to be declining on a daily basis. Most women complain of their spouse
being unresponsive to some of their basic needs, not given them equal right to
decision making and other important areas that has to do with both partners.
Some of the presumed causes of these factors include; stress, giving more time
to work over relationship, sexual dysfunction amongst others, and the effects
of these on women includes; change in attitude and behaviour, engaging in more
social activities and finally holding onto certain marital issues which could
further lead to the disintegration of the marriage. It is of great importance
to first of all understand that the attachment pattern of any individual
originates from the type of attachment pattern that has been adopted in the
early stages of childhood, that is, between a child and a primary care giver
(parents). These early parental care experiences then gives rise to an internal
working model of oneself and others, which form a basis for generating
expectations about future relationships and provide a context for interpreting
what happens in those relationships (Bowlby, 1973). Having discussed the types
of attachment pattern in the introduction, the two sub categories of attachment
pattern in women that can give rise to marital instability, are the avoidant
attachment pattern and the ambivalent attachment pattern. Women within these
attachment pattern often possess ‘I don't care’ attitudes; feelings of what
other people are of emotionally concerned about, is usually of no importance to
women under these categories. Thus, this is to say that early attachment have a
profound effect on people's relationships throughout their entire lives.
One major problem women often battle in
marriage is their parental marital background. The background of several women
in marriage contributes immensely to the success and failure of many marriages
in Nigeria today as a person's parental marital background is where the moral lesson and social behaviours of life are being
learnt and emulated. Most behaviours and attitudes of women in marriages today
are as a result of how their mother or father behaved or how either of them
solved certain life situations in the past and also; the way of life of this
parents. Some research has also shown that most women whose parent had
experienced divorce or marital instability also have the probability of going
through the same. Though individuals have a choice of which lifestyle they would
love to emulate and which not to.
Parental marital
instability as part of a person's family background, is something that affects
most women without them being aware of its prevalence and how it shapes their
interaction with spouse. Most women whose parents had problems with their
marriages are most times trying to be careful not to experience the same. Now,
in the cause of avoiding marital breakup, they either become tolerant, intolerant, too reactive or
slow to react to certain behaviours from their husband, as life as placed a
stigma of fear of the unknown in their psyche. It is from a person's family
background, cultures and tradition are passed from parents to offspring; fear
and confidence are instilled into the way we relate with people; lifestyles and
personalities of a parent one has more affection for is being inculcated into
our day to day way of life. Problems therefore arise when a spouse is in
conflict with the other's belief system of their parental marital background,
which affects their psyche and influences their interaction with their spouse
and could therefore result to marital instability.
Diversity in
culture and tradition is more of the reason why most women prefer their
husband’s in-laws, parents
and so on to stay away from their marriage.
But this is not to say this is exactly why some women
discourage in-law or parental involvement in their marriages, as there are some
other reasons responsible for this. Women often feel there is the tendency of
their husband's in-laws making certain decisions or enforcing laws on their
husbands most especially
when they are seen as one big family.
Some in-law's even go to the extent of coming over to the husband's house every
weekends to see if the husband is being treated well, fed well and respected by
the wife; some even go to the point of organizing family meetings all in the
name of ensuring a peaceful home. Couple's often place a higher priority on
their relationship with their marital partners and individuate/differentiate
with some of the close attachments that they may have formed with parents,
children, siblings and relatives (Bowen, 1978;
Bray 1995; Mace 1989).
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1)
Does
the level of spousal communication influences marital instability?
2)
Is
parental marital instability a predominant factor that influences marital
instability?
3)
Which
spousal's attachment pattern is more liable to influence marital instability?
4)
Does
the rate of in-law's involvement in marriage behavioural change in women?
1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This study will be carried out to
determine the psychosocial factors that influence marital instability with the specific objectives stated below;
1. To examine whether the level of
spousal's communication would influence
marital instability.
2. To know whether parental marital
instability of women contributes to their decision making which may result to
marital instability.
3. To know what kind of spousal attachment
patterns in marriage influences marital instability.
4. To examine if the rate of in-law's
involvement in marriage influences women's behaviour which may result to
marital instability.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study is focusing mainly on four
psychosocial factors influencing married women before the occurrence of marital
instability. These four factors are; attachment patterns, spousal
communication, parental marital background, and in-law's involvement and how it
influences marital instability are adequately examined.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
It is becoming a regular occurrence in
the society today to see marriages coming to an abrupt end. Therefore, this
study seeks to help an individual in understanding the various psychosocial
factors affecting marital instability, which could eventually lead to
dissolution or disintegration among couples. This project therefore aims at
unveiling the psychosocial factors which poses a threat to marital instability
and the society at large. This study will therefore be of great importance to
different social welfare institutions, families, women, because conclusion
gotten from this research, could serve as a road map to whatever goals that are
been developed by these organization. Another great importance is that, social
workers can be of great help in marital counseling agencies or institutions by
counseling and cautioning women or both parties on the signs and symbols that
are likely to cause marital instability.
1.7 CONCEPTUAL CLARIFICATIONS
Marriage: A socially and religious approved
union between a male and a female by which they are legally and morally
entitled to sexual relationship, bear and rear children thereby, establishing a
family of their own; It is the union of a man and a woman who makes a permanent
and exclusive commitment to each other of the type that is naturally fulfilled
by bearing and rearing children together, and renewed by acts that constitute
the behavioural path process of production.
Instability: The quality or condition of being
unstable. It can also be seen as an unusually and unnaturally large fluctuation
that may lead to serious damage or failure; if allowed to continue beyond a
certain limit.
Marital instability:
It is an unusual or unnatural large fluctuation that occurs in a marriage
(between a man and a woman) that may therefore lead to serious damage or system
failure in the family, if allowed to continue beyond a certain limit.
Divorce: Termination or dissolution of a legal
marriage. According to Dr. Dawn Taylor, it is what happens when people decide
not to be married to each other anymore. A divorce legally ends a marriage and
people are free to marry other people if they want to.
Psychosocial: The word psychosocial is gotten from
Social Psychology; it is a field that seeks to understand the nature and causes
of individual's behavior and thought in social situations. Social psychology is
an attempt to understand and explain how the thought, feeling and behaviour of
individuals is influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of
others.
Attachment Pattern: is the
bond that develops between a baby and its primary caregiver. It is
characterized by the interaction patterns which develop in order to fulfill the
infants’ needs and emotional development. This pattern therefore shapes future
relationships.
In-law's
involvement: this
refers to the interference of an individual in a couple's marital affair;
person or persons could either be from the husband's family, the wife's family
or even a friend.
Parental
Marital Background: this
concept explains the level of marital disruption in a parent's marriage, and
its level of influence on the married couple during the lifespan of marriage.
Spousal communication:
This concept describes the day to day pattern of communication between couples.
The pattern of both verbal and nonverbal communication often describes the
level of relationship in any marriage.
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