Essay on Divorce Affects Kids Academic

Submitted By Jennifer-Pina
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I am analyzing the news article Divorce Affects Kids Academic, Social Skills, based on Erikson’s Psychoanalytic Theory: Industry vs. Inferiority. The purpose of my paper is to show the severity of high conflict divorce and how it effects children 6-11 years old in school. Divorce should occur when children are older in age. However, if it does not, children should not be exposed to adult conflict. If children 6-11 years old do get exposed to divorce conflict, then they will have a setback in school.
Psychoanalytic Theory is best defined as inner drives and motives, many of them irrational and unconscious, often originating in childhood, which underlie human behavior. These basic underlying forces are thought to influence every aspect of thinking and behavior, from the smallest entails of daily life to the crucial choices of a lifetime (The developing person 37). There are two theorist connected with Psychoanalytic Theory. Sigmund Freud, who focuses on the psychosexual side of the theory and Erik Erikson, who focuses on the psychosocial stage of the theory. For Erikson, the resolution of each crisis depends on the interaction between the individual and the social environment constructed by the family and culture (40). Erickson has eight developmental stages for his psychosocial theory. However, I am only going to focus on one of the eight stages, stage four Industry vs. Inferiority. During stage four children 6-11 years old are busy learning to be competent and productive in mastering new skills or feel inferior, unable to do anything as well as they wish. In stage four, the child should enjoy being productive and succeeding in tasks and relationships with his peers. Physically and mentally, the child should feel competent. The risks include discouragement that results in attempting to function without confidence resulting in social problems.
High conflict divorce is best described as an ongoing unremitting hostility between adults. The article Divorce Affects Kids Academic, Social Skills explains how children of high conflict divorce tend to fall behind in math and social skills. The article states, there may be intense conflict between the divorced parents. When parents experience anger, children do not feel the secureness nor the sincerity of their parents, resulting in sadness, anxiety or loneliness. Experiencing intense grief over the loss of not having both parents together also creates loneliness to the child. Due to the conflict, children experience mothers and fathers who are less warm and caring, causing dysfunction to the child. A study of 3,500 elementary school kids were followed from kindergarten through fifth grade. The study showed children in high conflict divorce experienced setbacks in math and social skills. According to Jay Reeve, a professor of psychology at Florida State University, “Math requires more concentration than other subjects. It requires attention and mental agility. If children are panicking or feeling anxious, it’s probably easier to remember some facts than it is to go through a complex mathematical question”. Therefore, making the child have a setback in math.
According to Erikson’s fourth theory, during this stage the child learns that recognition, attitude and opinions of others become important. If children are praised for doing their best and encouraged to finish tasks then work enjoyment and industry may result. When children are encouraged to master school work it helps them to grow and form a positive sense of who they are. However, Children who cannot master their school work may consider themselves a failure and feelings of inferiority may arise. If parents are constantly comparing the child to their ex-spouse, the child will develop low self-esteem from the criticism making them feel unworthy or like a failure. A child may also feel a sense of shame if his parents unthinkingly share his failures with others. When this occurs children 6-11 years old do not want to
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