Kassidy Clark

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1102-007
30 March 2016
Annotated Bibliographies
Reflection
While tedious, I feel that writing these annotated bibliographies was a fairly
easy process. I enjoyed exploring my topic and reading the varying sources.
After completing this, I feel that I have a very thorough understanding of my
topic and will be able to construct an effective thesis. Through writing my
annotated bibliographies and conducting researching about the various
authors and articles, I feel that I have become more familiar with the
concept of rhetorical situation. I feel that I was able to construct a more
thorough annotated bibliography when I used an article as a source. When I
used a lengthier source I found it harder to summarize all of the authors
points. My first entry was a lacking at first because I didnt have my course
pack with me when I was writing it. I was able to go back and edit it to fit the
necessary requirements when I returned to school. I feel that I have very
credible sources that cover a wide variety of view points. These sources will
make for a very well-rounded thesis.

Pickhardt, Carl E. The Impact of Divorce on Young Children and

Adolescents. Psychology

Today. Sussex Publishers, 19 December

2011. Web. 11 March 2016.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/surviving-your-childsadolescence/201112/the-impact-divorce-young-children-andadolescents.

Dr. Carl E. Pickhardt, Ph.D. is a well published author, graphic artist,

and psychologist. He is the author of fifteen parenting books as well as many
other fictional works. Dr. Pickhardt wrote the informative article The Impact
of Divorce on Young Children and Adolescents, which was featured on the

website Psychology Today on December 19, 2011. In this article, Dr.

Pickhardt responds to an emailed question regarding the effects of divorce
on young children and provides valuable information to not only the
psychological community, but to anyone who is in need of advice regarding
this topic. In reply to this question, Dr. Pickhardt discusses the impact of
divorce on children throughout the dependence of childhood and the angst of
adolescence. Dr. Pickhardt begins the article by discussing the massive
changes that divorce brings into a childs life. Described as being a
watershed event, divorce is an incident that brings about a lifetime of
repercussions. While divorce undoubtedly has an impact on all involved, the
impact varies with age. Children are much more dependent on their parents.
When a child endures a divorce, their sense of trust is negatively impacted. A
once a stable, organized home turns into an unfamiliar and unstable
environment. The child may often be plagued by ideas that this new,
unfavorable situation is only temporary and that someday things will return
to normal. Children also may begin to doubt their parents love for them, as
they have seen that their mother and father are capable of losing love for
one another and are unsure of why they are an exception. As a result,
children may revert back to almost infant-like behaviors such as bed-wetting,
clinginess, and throwing tantrums to gain the attention of their parents.
Divorce affects adolescent children in a very different way. In the words
of Dr. Pickhardt, The more independent-minded adolescent tends to deal
more aggressively to divorce, often reacting in a mad, rebellious way, more

resolved to disregard family discipline and take care of himself since parents
have failed to keep commitments to family that were originally made. While
young children may attempt to focus their parents attention back on them,
an adolescent will most likely form a new sense of independence. To prevent
an adolescent from behaving aggressively in his or her search for autonomy,
parents should try to maintain routines and give their adolescent
responsibilities in the household to ensure that they still feel included in the
family.

Witnessing loss of love between parents, having parents break

their marriage commitment, adjusting to going back and forth between
two different households, and the daily absence of one parent while
living with the other, all create a challenging new family circumstance

in which to live.
For the young child, divorce shakes trust in dependency on parents
who now behave in an extremely undependable way. They surgically
divide the family unit into two different households between which the
child must learn to transit back and forth, for a while creating
unfamiliarity, instability, and insecurity, never being able to be with

one parent without having to be apart from the other.

So much is different, new, unpredictable, and unknown that life
becomes filled with scary questions? "What is going to happen to
next? Who will take care of me? If my parents can lose for each

other, can they lose love for me? With one parent moving out, what if
I lose the other too?
This text was extremely easy to read and provided a lot of valuable
information regarding my topic. While it doesnt discuss the statistics of
divorce, this article provides the reader with advice regarding how to cope
with children of divorce and what behaviors to expect from these children.
This psychological standpoint will be very beneficial to my thesis, as I plan to
discuss the immediate impact of divorce in my paper. I feel that this article
could be helpful to anyone who is in search of advice and/or information
about the immediate effects of divorce on children.

Ahrons, Constance R. Family Ties After Divorce: Long-Term Implications for

Children. Family Process 46.1 (2007): 53-65. Web. 14 March 2016.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/doi/10.1111/j.15455300.2006.00191.x/full.

Constance Ahrons, Ph.D. is well known for her research regarding

divorce and, specifically, what impact divorce has on adult life. Receiving a
Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and a Masters in Social Work from the
University of Wisconsin, Dr. Ahrons has contributed a great deal of work to
the psychological community. Dr. Ahrons experienced great success in
academia, being named Professor Emerita from the Department of Sociology
and working as the director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Doctoral
Training Program at the University of Southern California. In 2000-2001, she
was awarded a fellowship to pursue work on her longitudinal study of the
effects of divorce on adult children twenty years after the event. Dr. Ahrons
published her findings from this study in the article Family Ties After
Divorce: Long Term Implications for Children which was published in the
journal Family Process in 2007.
In the study, 173 adult children were interviewed 20 years after their
parents divorce. Throughout her research, Dr. Ahrons addresses two major
questions: (1) What impact does the relationship between parents have on
their children 20 years after the divorce? and (2) When a parent remarries or
cohabits, how does it impact a childs sense of family? The research shows
that the parental structure impacts the family even 20 years after the
divorce by holding a strong influence over the quality of family relationships.
In Family Ties After Divorce, Dr. Ahrons stresses Most divorcing parents
have a short-term, narrow view of the implications of their continuing
relationship. When children have more cooperative parents, they tend to

have more positive relationships with other family members, such as siblings
and grandparents. Therefore, it is imperative that parents remain civil and on
decent terms. Dr. Ahrons also concluded that, while most children will
experience the remarriage of their parents, one-third of this group
remembers their parents remarriage as being more traumatic than the
divorce itself. In addition, two-thirds of this group feel that their fathers
remarriage was more stressful than their mothers. The study also showed
that once a childs relationship with their father worsened, other family ties
began to deteriorate as well.

When parents remarry, they often believe that their happiness in their
new union will be shared by the children they each bring with them,
followed by the ideal that their separate units will blend together easily
as family. When children do not meet these expectations, it can create

disappointment and distress for all family members.

Therapists need to make it very clear to parents that the co-parental
relationship they establish and maintain will have an effect on four

generations in the family, most especially in the paternal kin system.

After divorce, it is not uncommon for fathers to feel that they have
become unimportant in their children's lives.

This article was fairly difficult to follow, but provided a lot of information
about both the statistics of divorce and some of the psychological effects. To
fully understand this text, one would need to have some prior knowledge

regarding research methods. The bulk of the article discusses the method in
which the longitudinal study was conducted as well as the statistical findings
of that study. The language itself was not that difficult. This piece could be
useful to others in the psychological community, including those who are
involved in research and clinical psychologists.

Bennett, Shoshana. Divorce and Kids: 5 Ways Divorce Benefits Kids.

Huffington Post. n.p. 18 March 2012. Web. 15 March 2016.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/18/divorce-and-kids-5-waysd_n_1519485.html.

Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D. is well known from the DrShosh.com Radio

Show as well as her numerous books about postpartum depression and
anxiety, including Pregnant on Prozac and Postpartum Depression for
Dummies. A survivor of two bouts of postpartum depression, Dr. Bennett
prides herself on helping women worldwide understand this disorder and
seek help. Her helpful advice extends far beyond this one disorder, however.
Dr. Bennett has published numerous articles that are meant to help and

inspire women regardless of the situation. Dr. Bennett founded the

Postpartum Assistance for Mothers in 1987 and is the former president of
Postpartum Support International. She has earned three teaching credentials,
two masters degrees, and a Ph.D. Dr. Bennett is currently working as a
licensed clinical psychologist.
Going along with her most commonly discussed topics of divorce and
psychology, Dr. Bennett wrote the article Divorce and Kids: 5 Ways Divorce
Benefits Kids published on Huffington Post, an online American news site
and blog, on March 18, 2012. In this article, Dr. Bennett stresses that divorce,
though seemingly negative, can hold some positive benefits for the children
involved. One of the main benefits that Dr. Bennett discusses is that, by
seeing their mother and father happier apart than they were together, the
child becomes happier as well. Dr. Bennett insists that Children are like
barometers. You can measure the level of tension in the air by their behavior.
Once the split happens and the nasty intensity in the environment fades,
watch how the childrens behavior follows. A couples divorce can actually
set a good example for children as well. When parents put their own
happiness first, they model the importance of being in a healthy and
supportive relationship to their children, which can lead to them having
better relationships in the future. As far as joint custody, Dr. Bennett says
that after divorce, children have the opportunity to experience each parent
fully. Dr. Bennett implies that during a marriage, organizing and planning can
become tiresome. When parents are separated, the child sees each parent as

a competent individual that has the ability to run the household on his or her
own. Dr. Bennett concludes the article by stressing that, regardless of past
beliefs, when a parent remarries it has the potential to be beneficial to the
child because they have the opportunity to watch the parent flourish in a
new, positive relationship and become a happier individual.

What's most important to remember is your newfound single life after

divorce is what you make it -- and your children's attitude and well-

being will follow suit.

Usually when both parents are together, one of them takes on most of
the nurturing and/or logistical planning. After a divorce, the children
can have each parent completely focusing on them with the time they

have together.
If you stay in a bad relationship "for the kids," don't fool yourself that
the kids will really benefit. Although there will be certainly be an
adjustment when you divorce, the end result is positive. Youre showing
your children not to settle for an unhealthy marriage.

This article was extremely simple and down to earth. I love how it
provided me with a varying opinion on divorce. Most sources I have found
thus far stress that divorce is so detrimental to a childs well-being, so it
was really a breath of fresh air to find a source that discussed some
positive effects of divorce that even I can attest to. This article could be
helpful to mothers or fathers who are considering divorce but are worried

about what would happen to their childs well being. I plan on using this
source in my thesis to break up the melancholy tone and to bring in an
opposing opinion.

Furstenberg, Frank F., Jr. History and Current Status of Divorce in the United
States. The Future of Children 4.1 (1994): 29-43. Web. 28 March 2016.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1602476?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Frank Furstenberg Jr., Ph.D., is known for his role as the Zellerbach
Family Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, at the University of Pennsylvania.
Here, Dr. Furstenberg conducts research regarding the relation between
family life and disadvantaged urban neighborhoods and adolescent sexual
behavior. In addition to his work in sociological research, Furstenberg has
published multiple academic pieces discussing social change, the transition
into adulthood, divorce, remarriage, and intergenerational relations. Dr.
Furstenberg is also actively involved in his field. He is a member of the

National Academy of Medicine, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and

the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
Dr. Furstenberg wrote the article History and Current Status of Divorce
in the United States, which was published in the journal The Future of
Children in the spring of 1994. In this article, Dr. Furstenberg discusses the
shift in marriage and divorce practices that has taken place in recent time in
the United States. Before the 19th century, divorce was severely frowned
upon and, in some instances, banned by law. Since the Civil War, divorce
rates have been steadily rising. Furstenberg hypothesizes that this could be
the result of many things, including premarital pregnancy and cohabitation
before marriage. In addition, Dr. Furstenberg delves into information
regarding trends in divorce and remarriage and the differences between
family structures in the United States and other industrialized nations.
Finally, Dr. Furstenberg identifies important factors that have transformed
marriage in the United States and the effects of divorce on children. Among
the factors affecting divorce are the addition of women to the labor force and
the development of more liberal divorce laws. As for the effects of divorce on
children, Dr. Furstenberg concludes that Given the diversity of experience
among children whose parents do not live together, it is difficult to arrive at a
simple bottom line when assessing the effects of divorce. Every family
situation is different, which makes it fairly difficult to formulate an absolute
opinion on the effects of divorce.

Despite a growing pattern of joint custody and shared

responsibility, most formerly married and never-married parents

do not cooperate effectively.

The vast majority of children who experience life in single-

parent families and stepfamilies do well in later life.

Most Americans, perhaps women especially, are now less willing
than they once were to settle for good enough marriages.

This text was a more difficult read, but that could just be due to the sheer
amount of information that is presented. Though it may be considered
slightly out of date for some of the statistics of divorce, this article provides a
good overview of the history of divorce in the United States, which is
something that I feel is very important to incorporate into my thesis. This
article could be considered helpful to educators, psychologists, or other
professionals who are interested in the progression of divorce over time as
well as how divorce was perceived to affect children in the late 1990s.

Pedro-Carroll, Joanne. Eight Ways Teachers Can Help Children When Their
Parents Divorce. Dr. Joanne Pedro-Carroll. Joanne Pedro-Carroll. N.d.
Web. 28 March 2016. http://www.pedrocarroll.com/professionals/education/.

Dr. Joanne Pedro-Carroll is a clinical psychologist, author, and speaker. She is

involved in the childrens show Sesame Streets initiative Little Children, Big
Challenges: Divorce, which seeks to provide both children and family
members involved in divorce with support. Dr. Pedro-Carroll is involved in
another initiative as well, the Veterans Administration, which seeks to aid
military families that are dealing with separation and divorce. Beyond her
involvement with these organizations, Dr. Pedro-Carroll is internationally
recognized as an expert in the field of children and divorce, having appeared
as a keynote speaker at several conferences in the United States, the
Netherlands, Turkey, and various other countries. In addition, she has served
on national panels where she worked to advance policy in the field of
children and families.

Today, Dr. Pedro-Carroll works with children and

families through her private practice.

In the article Eight Ways Teachers Can Help Children When Their
Parents Divorce which was featured on Dr. Pedro-Carrolls own website Dr.

Joanne Pedro-Carroll, Dr. Pedro-Carroll discusses ways in which teachers can

be of benefit to children when they are going through the emotional strain
that comes with their parents divorce. Dr. Pedro Carroll insists that it is
crucial that teachers make themselves available to students who might be
going through a difficult time at home because students tend to see their
educators as stable figures that are concerned about their wellbeing. Dr.
Pedro-Carroll implores Children thrive on routine and clear expectations for
their behavior. With so many things changing in their lives, they may look to
their school as a place that provides stability and support. Listen to and
accept their feelings, but set limits on behaviors that are unacceptable.
While making themselves available to children, educators should also
observe the child for any behavioral or health problems and strive to educate
the child about their parents divorce. Apart from helping the child, educators
should seek to inform parents of effective methods of handling their child
throughout the time and ensuring that their academic performance is not
negatively affected.

When children are unruly or withdrawn, or if they exhibit dramatic

changes in behavior patterns, these may be signals that something is
going wrong in their lives. Children whose parents are in conflict or are
undertaking a separation or divorce often have very powerful feelings,
but they are also very likely to try to hide those feelings, especially
from their parents. As a result, the stress they feel can produce difficult
or disturbing behaviors that spill over into the classroom. If they are

willing to talk with you about whats going on in their lives, you may be
able to help them deal with their feelings or help them to find
resources to address their needs.

Children need to understand that they did not cause, and cannot
solve, the problems between their parents. But many children and
teens develop serious emotional difficulties because they somehow
believe they are to blame. You may be in a position to help uncover
those feelings and lead children to a more accurate understanding of

the changes in their family.

In meetings with parents, or even in informal encounters, you can
help children by discouraging their parents from criticizing, blaming, or
denigrating the other parent in front of their children. Children
understand that both parents are somehow a part of them, and when a
parent is made to look bad, children often feel that they are somehow
defective, too.

This article was very informative and a great way to bring in a different
position on divorce. I was curious about the effects of divorce on a childs
education, as it seems to hold true that a stressful home life leads to a
decline in academic performance. This article showed that the effects of
divorce extend far past the home and that these effects can have very real
effects on the childs life as a whole. In addition, Dr. Pedro-Carroll provided
some very good advice on how educators can help both children and parents
during this time. This article could be deemed helpful to parents, as it shows
how crucial it is that they maintain communication with their childrens

educators, and to teachers as it provides advice as to how to best handle

these students.

Hughes, Robert, Jr. How Religion Shapes Our Attitudes Toward Divorce.
Huffington Post. N.p. 25 May 2011. Web. 29 March 2016.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-hughes/does-religion-shape-oura_b_782885.html.

Robert Hughes Jr., Ph.D., is a Professor of Human Development and

Family Studies at the University of Illinois. Dr. Hughes earned his Ph.D. in
1980. For thirty years, Dr. Hughes has had an interest in helping families
make a smooth transition after going through a divorce or other stressful
experiences. Dr. Hughes illustrated findings from a scientific study in the
article How Religion Shapes Our Attitudes Toward Divorce which was
published on The Huffington Post on May 25, 2011. This study, performed by
sociologists Charles Stokes and Christopher Ellison at the University of Texas

at Austin, sought to discover the role of religion in the formulation of opinions

regarding divorce. Dr. Hughes begins the article with a brief overview of the
progression of divorce in the United States since 1970 and statistics
regarding how Americans do in fact feel about divorce. He then proceeds to
discuss what factors influence peoples attitudes toward divorce, with
religion being at the lead. When Dr. Hughes begins to discuss the findings
from the study, he categorizes the results based on three main questions
based on religious affiliation, views of the Bible, and church attendance. In
regards to religious affiliation, it was found that those with any religious
affiliation were more likely to favor strict divorce laws. When asked about the
Bible, it was discovered that while some take the Bible quite literally and
some see it as more of an inspiration, both groups were found to feel the
same about divorce laws, stating that they were too lax. Finally, church
attendance was found to be the single best predictor of divorce beliefs.
Those who attend church regularly are more likely to feel that divorce laws
should be stricter while those who do not feel less concerned with the
situation. Dr. Hughes concludes the article by summarizing the findings,
stating that over the last 40 years American attitudes towards divorce
havent changed. There is neither overwhelming support to make the laws
stricter or more lenient. Like so many other cultural issues, we are divided.

Beginning around 1970, most states passed no-fault laws for

couples who wanted to get divorced. This meant that husbands and

wives no longer had to prove that their spouse did something wrong

such as adultery in order to get divorced.

Some of the findings of this study seem obvious. Yes, those who
profess any religious belief are more likely to want stricter laws about
divorce. Most religions view marriage as important to the fabric of

society and to the faithful.

Americans who regularly practice their faith, regardless of the type of
faith, are more likely to think that divorce laws should be stricter.

This article provided me with the religious point of view that I wanted to
include in my thesis. I feel that religion is a big factor in the formulation of
opinions regarding divorce, especially in the South. The opinions of people,
especially family and friends, that children are around can have a huge
impact on the way that they view their parents and themselves. This article
was an easy read and provided scientific information in a very short, precise
way. This information could prove useful to those who are interested in
researching religious views or divorce.

Lehmann, Carolin. 7 Things You Learn from Growing Up With Divorced

Parents The Huffington Post. N.p. 28 March 2016. Web. 29 March
2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/growing-up-with-divorcedparents_us_56f5ab73e4b014d3fe232c07?
ir=Divorce&section=us_divorce&utm_hp_ref=divorce.

In the article 7 Things You Learn from Growing Up With Divorced

Parents which was published on The Huffington Post on March 28, 2016,
Carolin Lehmann, an editorial fellow with The Huffington Post, compiles
testimonies from individuals who come from divorced families who feel that
their parents separation taught them very valuable life lessons. Focusing on
the idea of the silver lining, these HuffPost bloggers had many encouraging
things to say in regards to divorce. One blogger said that through her
parents divorce, she grew much closer to her mother as she was provided
the chance to learn more about her. Stemming off of this comment, another
blogger described how her parents divorce allowed her to see her parents in
a new light by stating I feel like I understand my parents better as individual
people because of their divorce. By making it clear that their split was not a
consequence of parental or familial troubles but instead a result of two
incompatible people growing apart, my parents were able to preserve their
identity as mom and dad while adding another layer to our relationship.
Since theyve divorced, Ive developed unique and complex relationships
with each of them. Theyre not only my parents, they have thoughts, needs,

opinions and individual identities. Among the other positive benefits were
the feeling of being more independent, the lack of fear of being single,
gaining a bigger family, learning that it is never too late to be happy, and the
development into a more empathetic person. Lehmann implores that while
divorce is indeed a trying experience, if effort is put in by both the children
and the parents there is a possibility that some positivity will come of it.

I was better off after divorce. It made me grow up faster and become
independent. After my moms second divorce a few years ago (after an
even longer marriage than her first), she showed me its never too late
to change and live a happier life as a single person. She is more like a

teenager now than ever before and she is enjoying every second of it.
As an only child, my family unit always felt pretty small. Gaining a
stepfamily has been a great blessing. My family grew in size, rather

than simply breaking down.

The best thing thats come out of my parents divorce is my own
ability to empathize and help others who are going through pain and
trauma of their own. My childhood struggle with my parents divorce
has become the catalyst for my passion and success in adulthood.

This article was by far the most interesting one that I have read. The
information was extremely relevant and provided me with the personal
testimonies that I wanted to include in my thesis. This article went a step
further by not only providing me with personal testimonies, but provided me
with yet another positive outlook on divorce and children. This article could
be useful to a wide variety of people, including children and parents who are

going through divorce. I feel that using this source in my thesis will help to
break up the authoritative tone.