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divorce family breakdown divorced people family turning point emancipation individualization axionormative pluralization family changes second demographic transition agency subjectivity

This work focuses on a comprehensive analysis of the divorce phenomenon from a sociological perspective. It consists of three main parts, which to a large extent organize the perception of both theories important for understanding the essence of the phenomenon of divorce, the methodological assumptions adopted for the purpose of the research, and the results obtained on their basis.The first part of the work presents the definitions of the family, both classical forms and their contemporary transformations, the approach to the family from the perspective of its changing functions, as well as the evolution of its shape and composition. The described cultural, social and demographic changes, which constantly influence its redefinition, constitute the context of family transformations. The last element, the most extensive and most related to the topic of the work, is the presentation of theoretical approaches to the phenomenon of divorce - its specificity, causes and effects. It is complemented by the presentation of a review of research that deals with the subject of the breakdown of marriages.The next part of the work is the methodological assumptions made for the conducted research, its structuring and defining the main questions to which the research was to answer. As part of the methodological chapter, the conceptualization of the main concepts for the work was also presented. This part is also constituted by the presentation of the research tool and the selection of the sample that were used to carry out the research, and it ends with the presentation of the course of the research, as well as the issues and problems that arose at that time.The key part of the work is the analysis of interviews with people who have experienced the phenomenon of divorce. As part of the interviews with the respondents, topics related to the beginnings of an acquaintance with a spouse, structuring the order of the relationship, and then marriage, and the circumstances that led to the breakdown of the marriage were raised. The divorce process itself, the experiences and emotions associated with it, not only for the respondents themselves, but also for their children and the social environment, are also an important element of the analytical part. The last fragment of the analysis focuses on post-divorce experiences and narratives about building a new family order. The combination of research results with numerous theories and concepts allowed to show the phenomenon of divorce not only on a micro-social scale - referring to the affected family, but also to relate it to the macro-social scale, which it influences to a large extent. The main and most important conclusions are included in the summary, which is a synthetic summary of the key findings made in the conducted research.

University of Wroclaw

Copyright by Paulina Niedopytalska