Date Awarded

1993

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Education

Advisor

Charles O. Matthews

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine personality factors related to adult divorce adjustment with a particular focus on anxiety, self esteem and locus of control.;Bowen Theory, with particular emphasis on the concept of differentiation of self, provided the theoretical rationale for this study. While Bowen related his concepts to marital and family functioning, the theory did not address the process of divorce. The present study attempted to fill a gap in the divorce literature by expanding Bowen Theory, with a primary investigative focus on adult post divorce adjustment and level of differentiation.;All 62 research subjects completed instrument packets which included a consent form, a demographic questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, the Rotter Internal-External Scale, The Blair Divorce Adjustment Inventory (modified version), and the Haber Level of Differentiation of Self Scale.;Data from the participants included a sample of 26 men and 36 women. A large percentage of the subjects were 20-39 years of age (67.5%), of middle class status (59%), had marriages which tended to last a duration of less than 10 years (66%), and had children under the age of 18 (46.7%). The results from the instruments indicated a sample who were internally directed, had a moderate level of self concept, and a low level of both State and Trait anxiety. When the variables of divorce adjustment and level of differentiation were computed, the results indicated that the sample exhibited high levels of differentiation and moderate to strong levels of divorce adjustment.;The Tennessee Self Concept Scale exhibited the strongest correlation coefficient when measured with both the Blair Divorce Adjustment Inventory (58%) and the Haber Level of Differentiation of Self Scale (51%). Step-wise analysis indicated that both the Tennessee with a t-ratio of 2.220 and a p-value of.030, and the Trait level of anxiety, with a t-value of {dollar}-{dollar}2.156 and a p-value of.035 resulted in high predictive values with the Blair. When the personality variables were computed with the Level of Differentiation Scale, the results were similar to the Blair analysis. The Tennessee obtained the strongest predictive value. as with divorce adjustment, self concept was the strongest predictor of level of differentiation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-qv29-ev79

Rights

© The Author

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