The aim of this thesis is to really know and understand what breaks marriages and to research how this problem is cause, but also to help people to dealt with the problem of relating in marriage while they deal with the problem of raising children. So the approach of this thesis, will be on Narrative Approach as a way of trying to dealt with relationship that families faces daily. In using the Narrative Approach it is the role of therapist to accompany couple as they seek to relate to each other, help couples to negotiate. Chapter one, is the introduction of the story of my brother (Rancho) who experience the problem of broken relationship in marriage. Secondly to understand what is relationship? And to know what broke relationship. In chapter two, I explain what is Narrative therapy. In chapter three I am sharing the stories of couples who has broken relationship, and dealing with their problem through listen and interpretation. In chapter four the result and interviews are going to be helpful in understanding how the broken relationship causes divorce. So I am going to deal with broken relationship and the meaning of divorce. What is divorce and how divorce has come in as the result of brokenness. In chapter five, ten question will be asked in order to trace were relationship broke down. To conclude, what I have learned from the thesis and suggestion for further studies. / Dissertation (MA (Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

This study was designed to assess the difference in litigation between two courts: one mandating For Kids' Sake, a psycho-educational seminar for divorcing parents, and the other not so mandating. The level of difficulty of children's adjustment to divorce has been positively correlated with parental hostility. More hostile parents would have more contested cases, interim motions, and relitigations. This research compared final dispositions, interim motions, and relitigation between parents in two courts in Collin County, Texas. The treatment group was from the 219th District Court which mandated all divorcing parents with minor children to attend the For Kids' Sake Seminar and the control group was from the 199th District Court which did not so mandate. Archival data was collected from a computer generated list for the Total group data to assess final dispositions and directly from District Clerk files for the In-Depth group data to assess interim motions and relitigation. The Total group was comprised of 679 research subjects with 330 cases in the treatment group and 349 cases in the control group. The In-Depth group consisted of 182 cases from both courts with 84 cases in the treatment group and 98 cases in the control group. Chi square analysis of the total group revealed significantly more parents in the treatment group who non suited the divorce suit and remained married (p. < .05), a significantly lower number of cases in the treatment group with interim motions (p. < .10), and a significantly lower amount of relitigation in the treatment group (p. < .05). The results showed that the court that mandated For Kids' Sake evidenced a reduction in subsequent litigation which not only benefits the legal system but also hopefully reflects lower parental hostility and higher parental cooperation, thereby benefiting the children of divorce.

This study began from the pain of a woman going through divorce and experiencing invisibility in the church. Through conversations with divorced people in a small research group and a participatory research process, the study brings together the narratives of literature, narrative therapy and pastoral care to challenge the dominant discourses of divorce and its influence and effects on people's lives and the communities in which they live and worship. From the study has grown a healing ministry with people who are divorced, which has begun to tum around their experience of invisibility and isolation into an experience of community, inclusion and care. / Philosophy, Practical & Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology (Pastoral Therapy))

Recent legislation passed by the South African Parliament has sharpened attention on the importance of mediation in the process of divorce. Without the understanding and cooperation of the legal profession, and of attorneys in particular, there appears to be small chance that this will be adequately recognised and brought to fruition. The research reported in this dissertation reflects the results of an investigation of Cape Town attorneys working in the field of divorce. Their attitudes to and knowledge of the concept of divorce mediation are reported, and the prospects of collaboration between a social work agency and the legal profession in divorce mediation have been analysed. It is clear that some collaboration is achievable between the social work and legal professions in this area. A methodology has been developed and validated that is generally applicable, and which could also be used for investigation of other professional groups. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

D.Ed. / Die motivering vir hierdie navorsing is die besef dat egskeiding 'n proses is wat noodwendig krisis en wanbalans in die lewens van alle betrokkenes in die gesin tot gevolg het. Dit kan die gesinslede etlike jare neem om weer aan te pas en selfvertroue in hul nuwe rolle en verhoudings te kry. Alle egskeidings word gekenmerk deur een belangrike eienskap, naamlik verandering. Sommige veranderings begin voor die fisieke skeiding en ander duur voort tot lank na die egskeiding. Verandering kan die klimaat in die gesin verbeter of verswak, maar dit dwing kinders altyd om aan te pas. Die sielkundige effek van egskeiding op kinders behoort dus op twee vlakke beskou te word. Die eerste vlak van verandering is waar kinders aanpas by die omwenteling wat die egskeiding meebring. In-diepte navorsing is reeds hieroor gedoen en toon dat die onmiddellike aanpassing na egskeiding vir kinders minder spanningsvol is — veral indien daar minder konflik en ontwrigting teenwoordig is. Die tweede vlak van verandering behels kinders se langtermyn-sielkundige aanpassing. Uit die literatuur is dit duidelik dat daar baie geskryf en gedoen is om ouers en kinders onmiddellik na hierdie krisis by te staan. Daar is egter min navorsing gedoen oor die langtermyneffek van egskeiding op kinders se lewens en hoe die egskeiding moontlik tydens volwassenheid onverwerkte trauma en emosionele probleme kan veroorsaak. Die navorser het die veld met haar eie stone as vertrekpunt betree. Hierna is fenomenologiese onderhoude met tien volwassenes tussen die ouderdomme van 28 en 35 jaar gevoer. Hul belewenis van hul ouers se egskeiding, wat tydens hul kinderjare plaasgevind het, is verken en beskryf. Die resultate toon dat hierdie volwassenes steeds worstel met onverwerkte wonde uit hul kinderjare, voortspruitend uit hul ouers se egskeidings. Hierdie onverwerkte wonde uit hul kinderjare het tot struikelblokke gelei wat hul verhoudings met hulself en met ander negatief beInvloed. Gevolglik is die geestesgesondheid van hierdie volwassenes nie bevorder nie en kon heelheid nie ervaar word nie. Hierdie navorsing het gelei tot die ontwikkeling van 'n model vir opvoedkundige sielkundiges om, tydens die proses van fasiliterende interaksie, volwassenes wie se ouers tydens hul kinderjare geskei is, tot heelheid te begelei ten einde geestesgesondheid te ervaar. Die ontwikkeling van die model het in vier stappe geskied. In Stap 1 is konsepte geldentifiseer, gedefinieer en geklassifiseer nadat die veldwerk afgehandel is. Guba se model is oorkoepelend gebruik om vertrouenswaardigheid in die kwalitatiewe metodologie te verseker. Dit verwys na die geloofwaardigheid, oordraagbaarheid, vertroubaarheid en bevestigbaarheid van die navorsing. In Stap 2 is die verhoudingstelling van konsepte gedoen, waarna Stap 3 gevolg het, wat die beskrywing van die model behels het. Riglyne om die model te operasionaliseer is in Stap 4 gestel. Stappe 3 en 4 is geIntegreer en is nie afsonderlik bespreek nie. Die model is gerig op die begeleiding aan volwassenes wie se ouers tydens hul kinderjare geskei is, deur die proses van fasiliterende interaksie. Tydens hierdie proses word die volwassenes begelei om die struikelblokke wat die egskeiding gelaat het, te identifiseer, hulle persoonlike hulpbronne optimaal te ontwikkel en hulle ware self te ontdek, tot persoonlike insig te kom en outonomie te verkry ten einde heelheid te ervaar en geestesgesond te leef.

Thesis (D.Phil. (Maatskaplike Werk))-University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study began from the pain of a woman going through divorce and experiencing invisibility in the church. Through conversations with divorced people in a small research group and a participatory research process, the study brings together the narratives of literature, narrative therapy and pastoral care to challenge the dominant discourses of divorce and its influence and effects on people's lives and the communities in which they live and worship. From the study has grown a healing ministry with people who are divorced, which has begun to tum around their experience of invisibility and isolation into an experience of community, inclusion and care. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Practical Theology (Pastoral Therapy))

Recent legislation passed by the South African Parliament has sharpened attention on the importance of mediation in the process of divorce. Without the understanding and cooperation of the legal profession, and of attorneys in particular, there appears to be small chance that this will be adequately recognised and brought to fruition. The research reported in this dissertation reflects the results of an investigation of Cape Town attorneys working in the field of divorce. Their attitudes to and knowledge of the concept of divorce mediation are reported, and the prospects of collaboration between a social work agency and the legal profession in divorce mediation have been analysed. It is clear that some collaboration is achievable between the social work and legal professions in this area. A methodology has been developed and validated that is generally applicable, and which could also be used for investigation of other professional groups. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

M.A. / South Africa has an exceptionally high divorce rate. The stressful nature of parental separation and divorce results in higher susceptibility of children to psychological, social, academical and health problems. Parental ability to deal with the divorce transition largely influences the long term adjustment of children after divorce. An effective empirically researched based parentfocused educational programme which addresses the most essential divorce related issues and the effects thereof on children, can be of exceptional value. Supplying parents with sufficient knowledge and information regarding divorce as a process, as well as the way it effects children of different ages en developmental stages, will assist the parents in making better choices concerning the children. By educating parents about the effect of prolonged interparental conflict on children and by supplying them with constructive conflict management skills, the negative consequences of divorce on children may be minimised or even eliminated. In this study an educational programme (k.i.d.s.) was assessed by using a one group pretest- postest design. K.i.d.s. is a short, informative and user friendly educational programme. It comprises two, two hour sessions, scheduled two weeks apart. Statistical significance was achieved when pretest-posttest results were compared regarding knowledge on conflict and the divorce process. Participants also reported a significant decline regarding negative conflict behaviour. An overall high level of consumer satisfaction with the program was reported. Despite the small study sample, the positive results of this study proves the k.i.d.s. program to be a potential promising preventative and intervention method for use with divorcing parents. / Mrs. H.F. Ellis

The purpose of the study was to investigate the possibility ofusingJlelational Theory as a basis for the design of a support group programme for divorced single-parent families. This programme aimed at improving their interpersonal relationships and then to form new identities realistically, thus helping them to self-actualise. The categories of involvement, experience and meaningful attribution as well as the stages of awareness, exploration, personalisation and change initiation formed the basis of the programme. The effects of marital disruption on the interpersonal relationships and identities of singleparent families were also examined through a literature review. Pre and posttest interviews were conducted individually with single parents and their children to evaluate the effectiveness of the support group programme. The pretest interviews were administered a month before the implementation of the programme and the posttest interviews done two months after to gauge the longitudinal effect of the programme. The interviews and the progranune included the following aspects : awareness, exploration and evaluation of relationships (including aspects such as parental and spousal conflicts, parent alignment and parent availability, sibling rivalry and parent-child interaction); awareness, exploration and evaluation of identities (including identity conflicts stemming from role strain, role reversals and parent alignment); self-evaluation and selfactualisation. The conclusions from the literature study, the outcome of the support group progranune and the results of the interviews confirmed that marital disruption does adversely affect the interpersonal relationships of single-parent families and their formation of new, realistic identities. Single-parent families attribute unrealistic meaning to relationships and identities causing problematic relationships and identity conflicts. The nature and quality of the relationships also affect the formation of realistic identities resulting in a failure to self-actualise. In conclusion, the support group programme helped the single-parent families to attribute realistic meaning to their relationships and identities, resulting in improved relationships and the formation of realistic identities / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)