HAVE PROFESSIONALS PINPOINTED UNDERLYING CAUSE FOR DIVORCE?

There are countless opinions about what couples should discuss before getting married. There are also countless opinions about how and why a marriage can break down, and what can lead to a divorce. Michigan couples may be interested to know that most couples who have already gone through the process point to one simple problem as the root of the breakdown of their marriages: communication.

Experts agree that communication is the biggest key to keeping a marriage in working order. Communicating does not include arguing and yelling, but rather expressing opinions and feelings. This is imperative in order for one partner to properly inform the other about where they are coming from, honestly and openly. In fact, mental health professionals cited communication as the primary factor that leads to divorce 65 percent of the time.

Naturally, it is not surprising for communication to be listed as an underlying concern for so many couples. The irony is that men and women see different facets of communication as problematic. Men seem to focus on their wives nagging them, while wives focus on their husbands not validating their feelings. Some experts argue regardless of why, that it’s only when one or both spouses stop talking, explaining and expressing their feelings, allowing the lines of communication to break down, that the marriage reaches its breaking point.

Obviously there are many reasons other than communication that lead to divorce for a Michigan couple. Each couple probably can’t name just one factor as the underlying cause as the reason for dissolution of their marriage. Once a couple reaches the point of filing the papers, the reason ceases to matter. Getting through the process expediently and starting over is key, and sometimes that means seeking additional resources to determine what options might best fit their situations.

Source: Huffington Post, Poor Communication Is The #1 Reason Couples Split Up: Survey, No author, Nov. 20. 2013