Abstract

PASQUALI, Luiz  and  MOURA, Cristiane Faiad de. Atribution of causality to divorce. Aval. psicol. [online]. 2003, vol.2, n.1, pp.01-16. ISSN 1677-0471.

Divorce is conceived as the end of a relationship through the breakup of marriage. This means the separation of bodies and goods. Thus the divorce, in formal terms, gives both parties the right to plead a new marriage in agreement with the effective legislation of each country. As a social phenomenon, the divorce is not limited to a legal question, but it involves also political, economic, cultural and psychological issues, which are of interest not only to experts, but also of the general public. From a psychological point of view, one of the problems of divorce emerges from the process of causal attribution, which is a phenomenon identifiable in many processes of social perception. In fact, social phenomena lead the individuals to make inferences in relation to the causes of the observed occurrences. Thus, the objective of the present study was: 1) construction and validation of a Scale of Attribution of Causality to the Divorce (ACD) and 2) analysis of some hypotheses in relation to the causal attribution of divorce. The methodology was divided in two different studies, that is: 1) psychometric study and 2) hypothesis testing. The sample was composed of 310 subjects (146 males and 158 females), with an average age of 35 years. A questionnaire with 37 items was applied (ACD). The validity of the scale was established through the factor analysis. Three factors resulted, which agrees with the original theory of causal attribution. Data showed also that the variables sex and civil state are relevant to the internal attribution of causality to the divorce, whereas the attribution to external factors is affected more by age and social economic level. The most striking fact concerning causal attribution to the divorce is that the causes should be sought in internal problems to marriage itself. Thus, in spite of the literature to insist in external factors as the explanation for the increase of the divorce in the modern world, the subjects of this research are unanimous in asserting that the true cause of divorce should be found within the spouses themselves, that is, in problems that come from the couple itself.

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