Overview

What is the real legacy of divorce? To answer this question, Constance Ahrons, Ph.D., interviewed one hundred and seventy-three grown children whose divorcing parents she had interviewed twenty years earlier for her landmark study, the basis of which was the highly acclaimed book The Good Divorce. What she has learned is both heartening and significant. Challenging the stereotype that children of divorce are emotionally troubled, drug abusing, academically challenged, and otherwise failing, Dr. Ahrons reveals that most children can and do adapt, and that many even thrive in the face of family change. Although divorce is never easy for any family, she shows that it does not have to destroy children's lives or lead to a family breakdown. With the insight of these grown children and the advice of this gifted family therapist, divorcing parents will find helpful road maps identifying both the benefits and the harms to which postdivorce children are exposed and, ultimately, what they can do to maintain family bonds.

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9780060931209

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Reviews

A more nuanced picture of divorce, one that defies sound-bite conclusions.... Constance Ahrons is generous, wise and pragmatic. --San Francisco Chronicle Ahrons, one of this country's foremost authorities, offers sound advice about how divorcing couples can promote their children's well-being. --Steven Mintz, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of History, University of Houston and author of Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life An astounding accomplishment! Filled with insights and advice....If you want the best for your children, read this book. --Richard A. Warshak, Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and author of Divorce Poison: Protecting the Parent-Child Bond From a Vindictive Ex Engaging, eminently readable...an important piece of social history that will be consulted by scholars for many years to come. --Stephanie Coontz, author, The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap Here is the REAL story of divorce for today's rearranged families. --Vicki Lansky, author of Divorce Book for Parents and It's Not Your Fault, KoKo Bear Insightful, wise and honest, this longitudinal study is an important addition to our understanding the family after divorce. --Warren Farrell, Ph.D., author of Father and Child Reunion and Why Men Are the Way They Are Required reading for those contemplating or recently or long-divorced; adult children; clergy, mental health practitioners, teachers and policy-makers. --Evan Imber-Black, Ph.D., Editor, Family Process and Director of the Center for Families and Health, Ackerman Institute for the Family The voices of grown children are compelling, ! Filled with practical advice for helping two household families tap into unanticipated strengths.--Harriet Lerner, Ph.D., author of The Dance of Anger With clarity and compassion, Dr. Ahrons presents solid research that gives us answers to the questions plaguing families and clinicians! --Lois Braverman, President, American Family Therapy Academy and author of Women, Feminism, and Family Therapy With her long-term unbiased research, Ahrons shows that children can grow up secure and loved by both parents. --Mary Catherine Bateson, author of Full Circles, Overlapping Lives

More prescriptive than descriptive, Ahrons s supportive guidebook should aid anyone trying to make a good divorce better. --Publishers Weekly

With her long-term unbiased research, Ahrons shows that children can grow up secure and loved by both parents. -- Mary Catherine Bateson, author of Full Circles, Overlapping Lives

Author Information

Constance Ahrons, Ph.D., author of The Good Divorce and co-author of Divorced Families, is professor emerita from the Department of Sociology and former director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Doctoral Training Program at the University of Southern California. A senior scholar and founding co-chair of the Council on Contemporary Families, she is an internationally renowned lecturer, consultant, and workshop leader. Dr. Ahrons is director of Divorce and Remarriage Consulting Associates in San Diego, California.

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