When shelter-in-place orders were issued across the US to prevent the spread of coronavirus, thousands of couples found their relationships tested after being shut in together for weeks. The stress of the situation may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, leading spouses to file the divorce for marriages that were already failing. Although the current conditions may have given them the push they needed, before the outbreak, people cited their reasons for ending their marriages. Here are the top 5 reasons people get divorced:
- 1. Incompatibility— While it may sound simple, not being compatible with your partner can be detrimental to a relationship. Two people may have started out with everything in common and drifted apart after years of marriage. Sometimes career and family take you in directions you would never expect, and your partner can’t follow. Loving one another but not being “in love” is another form of incompatibility. There may be insurmountable differences in the way a couple manages money. Sometimes after a few years together, spouses may realize they have different ideas of how their future should look. Whatever the case may be, couples that can’t get past being incompatible, often end up going their separate ways.
- 2. Lack of Intimacy— Not feeling an intimate connection with your spouse can be devastating. When there is a physical side of the relationship that is missing, it can be heartbreaking. There is also a necessary emotional connection. When partners don’t feel an intimate union, it can be alienating and damaging to each person’s self-esteem. In time, one or both people may feel so rejected that they start looking outside of the marriage for intimacy in the relationship. When unaddressed, a lack of intimacy can be toxic to any marriage.
- 3. Infidelity— When one partner is unfaithful to the other, the level of betrayal can be so devastating that the couple can never get past what has occurred. Adultery can be fatal to a marriage even when the couple tries to put it behind them. Even if the unfaithful partner swears never to do it again, the injured partner may never be able to fully trust them again.
- 4. Addiction— Addiction is another reason that a couple may divorce. An addiction to an illegal substance may come with criminal implications that a spouse cannot ignore. However, when the addiction is to a legal substance or socially condoned practice such as alcohol or gambling, it can take longer for a marital partner to recognize the problem. Dependencies can also be to things such as sexual behavior, pornography, or video gaming. When a partner refuses to address the problem, and it is harming the marriage, addiction can lead to divorce.
- 5. Abuse–When one partner is abusive towards the other, it can become a cycle that can take years to break. There is physical abuse that involves the victim being made to feel that he or she is responsible for the violence perpetrated towards them. There are also emotionally abusive relationships. This type of abuse can be harder to recognize as being unhealthy because of the lack of physical evidence. When someone can break free from this type of abuse and get help and support, they may be able to end the relationship.