The Process of Silent Divorce Formation Among Educated Couples: A Grounded Theory Study
Keywords:
Silent divorce, emotional divorce, educated couples, grounded theory, marital intimacy, TehranAbstract
This study aimed to explain the process through which silent divorce is formed among educated couples in Tehran using a grounded theory approach. This qualitative study was conducted using grounded theory methodology. The participants consisted of 24 educated married individuals living in Tehran who were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was reached. Inclusion criteria included having at least a bachelor’s degree, a minimum of five years of marital life, experiencing persistent emotional distance in the marital relationship, and willingness to participate in an in-depth interview. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. After obtaining informed consent, all interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. Data analysis was conducted through open, axial, and selective coding. To enhance trustworthiness, member checking, constant comparison, analytic memoing, peer review, and maximum variation in participant selection were employed. Data analysis led to the emergence of four main categories: erosion of intimate dialogue, rationalization of staying in the relationship, reproduction of distance in everyday life, and stabilization of cohabitation without emotional bonding. The core category was “the gradual transformation of marriage into functional cohabitation without intimacy.” The findings indicated that silent divorce among educated couples usually does not occur as a sudden relational rupture; rather, it develops through a gradual process beginning with the weakening of emotional dialogue and continuing through emotional self-control, prioritization of occupational and parental roles, fear of the social and economic costs of separation, and preservation of the public image of marriage. Silent divorce among educated couples is a processual, multilayered, and hidden phenomenon in which spouses maintain the legal and social structure of marriage while becoming emotionally and communicatively detached. Couple therapy interventions for this group should focus on reconstructing emotional dialogue, identifying avoidance patterns, redefining marital expectations, and reducing the social shame associated with seeking professional help.
Downloads
References
Amato, P. R. (2010). Research on divorce: Continuing trends and new developments. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 650–666. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00723.x
Amato, P. R. (2014). The consequences of divorce for adults and children: An update. Društvena istraživanja, 23(1), 5–24. doi: 10.5559/di.23.1.01
Boertien, D., & Härkönen, J. (2018). Why does women’s education stabilize marriages? The role of marital attraction and barriers to divorce. Demographic Research, 38, 1241–1276. doi: 10.4054/DemRes.2018.38.41
Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). SAGE.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (4th ed.). SAGE.
Damo, D. D., & Cenci, C. M. B. (2021). Emotional divorce: Similarities and differences according to the position occupied. Trends in Psychology, 29(3), 505–518. doi: 10.1007/s43076-021-00088-w
Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality: An 8-year prospective study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(3), 601–619. doi: 10.1037/a0013969
Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. H. (2010). Marriage in the new millennium: A decade in review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(3), 630–649. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00722.x
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Aldine.
Gottman, J. M., & Levenson, R. W. (2000). The timing of divorce: Predicting when a couple will divorce over a 14-year period. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(3), 737–745. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00737.x
Kalmijn, M. (2007). Explaining cross-national differences in marriage, cohabitation, and divorce in Europe, 1990–2000. Population Studies, 61(3), 243–263. doi: 10.1080/00324720701571806
Karney, B. R., & Bradbury, T. N. (1995). The longitudinal course of marital quality and stability: A review of theory, methods, and research. Psychological Bulletin, 118(1), 3–34. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.118.1.3
Latifian, M., Arshi, M., Alipour, F., Ghaedamini Harouni, G., & Islam, M. S. S. (2024). Investigating the relationship between internet addiction, domestic violence, and emotional divorce among married women in Tehran. BMC Psychiatry, 24, 707. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06139-7
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. SAGE.
Mirzadeh Koohshahi, F., Rezaei, A., & Najafi, M. (2019). Construction and validation of Emotional Divorce Scale in Iranian population. Practice in Clinical Psychology, 7(1), 53–62.
Papp, L. M., Kouros, C. D., & Cummings, E. M. (2009). Demand-withdraw patterns in marital conflict in the home. Personal Relationships, 16(2), 285–300. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2009.01223.x
Ross, J. M., Karney, B. R., Nguyen, T. P., & Bradbury, T. N. (2019). Communication that is maladaptive for middle-class couples is adaptive for socioeconomically disadvantaged couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116(4), 582–597. doi: 10.1037/pspi0000158
Sadeghzadeh, Z., Ghodssi-ghassemabad, R., Hamdieh, M., Shariatpanahi, S., Babazadeh, F., Abdoli, M., & Samadaee Gelehkolaee, K. (2023). The assessment of the related factors of emotional divorce among Iranian people during the Covid-19 pandemic: A descriptive study. BMC Psychology, 11, 360. doi: 10.1186/s40359-023-01395-w
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
