The family is the most important social unit of society. This is a fact that everyone must learn.

The family
is not only the basic societal unit. It is also the basic sexual unit, the basic child-raising unit, the basic
communication unit, and the basic all-around fun and friendship unit.
It is okay if one is not in a family at this time, but it is important to understand that the family is the basic
unit of society. The family is the subject of this lengthy article for this reason.

THE FAMILY AS THE BASIC UNIT OF SOCIETY

The family unit – principally a man and a woman living together in harmony and peace – is and always will
be the basic social organization or unit of any society. This relationship alone provides stability in a sexual,
emotional, intellectual and social way as no other can.
This statement may seem prejudiced or biased against other forms of social organization, but it has proven
true over hundreds and even thousands of years.
Other forms of societal organization include people remaining single or unattached, or various forms of
collective living arrangements that are called free love societies, communes, kibbutz living in some cases,
and others. To the best of my knowledge, none of these have worked out on a large scale nearly as well as
what is called a monogamous man-woman relationship in terms of stability and happiness for the couple,
and for the society as a whole.
When the families are strong, society is strong, as a rule. When families are weak, societies begin to break
down. This is the important concept of this article.

The Short-Term Effects Of Divorce On Children:

Children who witness a divorce could be disturbed by the thought of not seeing their parents together again.
Following are some of the immediate short-term effects of divorce on children:

Anxiety: The aftermath of a divorce causes the child to become tense, nervous, and anxious. Young children
are more prone to it than the older ones since they are heavily dependent on both the parents. An anxious
child will find it difficult to concentrate on his studies and may lose interest in activities that he once found
enticing.
Constant stress: According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, many children
falsely consider themselves the reason behind their parents’ divorce and assume the responsibility to mend
the relationship (2). This can lead to immense stress and pressure on the young mind, which can have
several repercussions like negative thoughts and nightmares.
Mood swings and irritability: Young children may suffer from mood swings and become irritable even when
interacting with familiar people. Some children will go into a withdrawal mode, where they stop talking to
anyone and shut themselves away. The child will become quiet and prefer spending time alone.
Intense sadness: Acute sadness rushes through the heart and mind of the child. Nothing feels good in life,
and the child may eventually plunge into depression, which is a long-term manifestation of this sadness.
Disillusion and distress: Children of divorce may feel hopeless and disillusioned because they do not have
the comprehensive emotional support from their parents. This situation can become worse if the child is
looked after by a single parent with no access to the other parent.
Short-term effects of divorce can hamper a child’s psychological and physiological growth, which can have
a long-term impact.

Long-Term Effects Of Divorce On Children:

Things can get rough for a child, who sees his parents bicker and separate. Their minds are still plastic that is
they can easily get affected by the events happening around them. Following are the long-term effects of
divorce on children:

6. Behavioral and social problems:

A child is at a greater risk of developing violent and antisocial behavior when the parents divorce. He or she
may lose temper at the drop of a hat and show no hesitation assaulting someone. In the long run, it may lead
to the development of a criminal mindset, especially during the adolescent years. Studies show that most
children of divorce display the characteristic traits of aggression and disobedience with varying degree of
intensity (3). Extreme cases of these conditions make the child a social misfit.

7. Trouble with relationships:

When children grow seeing a marriage fail, they develop doubts about love and harmony in a relationship.
They have trust issues and find it challenging to resolve conflicts in a relationship. Such children, as adults,
will start any relationship with a negative mindset.

8. Prone to substance abuse:

Drugs and alcohol become the avenues for adolescents to vent out their frustration and anxiety. Research has
shown a higher incidence of substance abuse in teens whose parents are divorced (4). Of course, there are
other factors like the care provided by the single parent, which determine the adolescent’s tendency to have
drugs. However, the probability of an adolescent succumbing to the temptation is considerably high. Long-
term substance abuse has damaging effects on the well-being of the child.

9. Depression:
The feeling of anguish and heartbreak caused by parents’ divorce can make a child slip into depression.
Depression is a mental health problem, and children who witness divorce have a higher incidence of
depression and social withdrawal. Researchers note that divorce can be a contributing factor in cases of
bipolar disorder observed in children (5).

10. Poor education and socio-economic position:

The adverse psychological effects of divorce diminish a child’s interest in education. Children who
experience the divorce of their parents show a drastic drop in their school grades (6). It can significantly
impede a child’s ability to learn at school and college. A stunted progress in education hampers career
prospects of the child as an adult, which make it difficult to have a decent socio-economic status.

Divorce can take a toll on the children’s mental and physical health, but sometimes, separated parents are far
better than quarreling parents. Don’t be surprised.

MARRIAGE
Marriage is the process by which two people make their relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the
joining of two people in a bond that putatively lasts until death, but in practice is often cut short by
separation or divorce.

Every marriage brings challenges, often profound ones. How a couple manages them often determines
whether their relationship collapses or holds firm. Guarding long-term love may require jettisoning
misguided beliefs or dysfunctional habits that partners have carried with them for many years.

"Divorce-proofing" a marriage can mean identifying and shoring up a couple's strengths and reinforcing
them with new skills and approaches to sharing life together.

Over the course of a relationship that can last as many as seven or eight decades, a lot happens. Personalities
change, bodies age, and romantic love waxes and wanes. And no marriage is free of conflict.

What enables a couple to endure is how they handle that conflict. So how do people manage the problems
that inevitably arise? And how can couples keep the spark alive?