Divorce may be predicted by the interaction between cultural and personal values, research findings

Divorce, a legal dissolution of marriage, can be driven by a variety of factors, ranging from changes in the economic and health of a spouse to contrasting values. The end of a marriage can often be difficult to deal with. Therefore, it can have a negative impact on the happiness and mental health of your ex-spouse.

On average, divorce rates around the world have increased over the past century. Improved understanding of the main factors that encourage people to resolve marriage can help devise more effective couples and marriage counseling strategies, which may contribute to lower divorce rates.

Two researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Salimensah and Lilach Sagib, recently conducted a study specifically exploring the relationship between people’s values ​​and divorce. Their findings published in Communications Psychology suggest that the interaction between spouse’s cultural and personal values ​​can predict divorce.

“We investigate the role of values ​​in motivating marriage breakup,” Mensah and Sagib wrote in their paper. “Based on a comprehensive value framework, how cultural values ​​explain international fluctuations in divorce, how individual values ​​explain further fluctuations within the country, and two value systems. We will study how they interact.

Individuals around the world are known to have a variety of cultural and personal values. Cultural values ​​are essentially shared beliefs related to social norms, which can emphasize individual freedom (i.e. autonomy) or social stability and tradition.

Personal values, on the other hand, are beliefs that influence the behavior of certain people. For example, some people can value independence, new experiences and joys more than others, which can be driven more by respect for tradition and social conformity.

Mentser and Sagiv analyzed data collected as part of three previous archival studies involving over 100,000 participants living in more than 55 countries around the world. Researchers looked at the survey responses provided by these participants, focusing on specific aspects of relationships and divorce and attitudes towards marriage history.

“We found that divorce is more legitimate, emphasizing autonomy values ​​and is likely to emphasize self-orientation, stimulation and hedonistic values ​​among individuals,” says Mensah. Sagib writes. “Divorce is less legitimate and probably was among individuals who emphasize the value of embedding and consider the importance of tradition and conformity to the value of tradition.”

The results of the team’s analysis suggest that cultural and personal values ​​interact to predict divorce. Specifically, cultural values ​​that prioritize autonomy (i.e., individual freedom) are associated with an increase in divorce rates, whereas those that prioritize social stability and tradition are associated with a decrease in divorce rates. It indicates that it is.

Similarly, the team also found that individuals who place great value on independence, new stimuli and joy are more likely to get divorced. Meanwhile, those who appreciated tradition and social harmony more highly were less likely to break up their marriage. Interestingly, the effects of these personal values ​​on divorce appeared stronger in countries with cultures that suggested an interaction between cultural and personal values.

“Overall, the influence of personal values ​​has become stronger, and culture has become stronger to emphasize the value of autonomy (embeddedness),” writes Mensah and Sagib. “Understanding the role of values ​​in divorce can inform individuals of the value they want to see in their future spouses.”

This recent study by Mentser and Sagiv highlights the extent to which values ​​can shape divorce trends in various countries around the world. In the future, it could inspire new research examining the differences the team has observed in different countries around the world.

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