Case Study †Peter and Jackie Essay

1. What factors in Peter’s and Jackie’s family backgrounds increased their risk of divorce? The factors that occurred in Peter’s family background that increased his and Jackie’s risk of divorce is when Peter was 14 his parents divorced as well his father had an affair with another woman which later got them married. As well Peter’s mother, Ethel had left to England because she never really liked the lifestyle in Canada to start off with and she only immigrated there to improve her marriage life with her husband, and since that did not work out, she left. Whereas Jackie had left her home at her teenage years leaving her family behind in rural Alberta, Jackie had migrated to Ontario. 2. Why do you think Jackie married Peter? I think that Jackie married Peter because they both had shared many things in common, most of all they had married because they both didn’t have that family relationship with their parent and siblings. As well both of them felt strongly attracted to each other when they had met at Thunder Bay, both of them were seeking companionship and intimacy. As both of them are from outside the Thunder Bay area, it naturally drew them together. Most of all as being a couple gave them a sense of family that neither of them had experienced for a long time. Eventually their relationship became stronger and they got married within three months. 3. Identify the causes of Jackie’s infidelity. The causes of Jackie’s infidelity that were affected is by moving to Brampton, where she had completely cut herself off from her family of origin to become closer to Peter’s extended family. She also worked long hours of part-time job and and on top of that going to school had put a strain on her and Peter’s relationship and eventually she ended up in the hospital with a nervous breakdown. As well their relationship changed irreversibly and Jackie seemed to have no interest in making the marriage work and she spent less and less time with Peter as she was spending more time with her girlfriend whom she met had at her College. Peter and Jackie constantly got into arguments as it irritated Peter that she spends more time with her girlfriend than with him. Eventually she confronted Peter that she just realized she is a lesbian and has an affair with her girlfriend. Jackie left Peter and moved to Toronto with her girlfriend. 4. How might Peter’s relationship with Jackie have affected his subsequent relationships? Peter’s relationship with Jackie might have affected his subsequent relationships by the emotional stress and pain that he had sustained. In fact, he put his best effort into recovering from their relationship and felt like he failed as a husband in the relationship that he worked hard for to make the marriage successful. This loss eventually pursued him to find another partner but that did not lead to a marriage and the commitment he expected. The emotional stress that was gained from the elopement of Jackie definitely was in the mind of Peter which made him uncomfortable to move on in life and eventually led to a stroke which had prevented him from working and suffered from depression. 5. Why was there underlying conflict in Peter’s relationship with Mary, even though Mary was 43 when they started living together? What problems might that conflict have caused in their relationship? There was underlying conflict in Peter’s relationship with Mary, even though Mary was 43 when they started living together because Mary did not want to lose her right to pass on the status to her children by marrying a non-status man. The problems that might have been caused in their relationship are for a very depressing view on Mary by the society and culture she came from. She would seem lonely and as a result, she may start to regret the marriage and if she had children, the children would also be strongly affected. Frankly, the loss of her status would change her whole life and it is a big sacrifice especially when she grew up learning about her culture and how she attained the particular status if she had married Peter. 6. Suggest reasons why Peter’s history of intimate relationships with Lisa and Mary differs from that of his siblings. Peter’s history of intimate relationships with Lisa and Mary differs from that of his siblings because both Lisa and Peter have come from parents that have divorced, thus having a background of understanding what a good marriage looks like. Mary cohabitated and had parents who also cohabitated where marriage was not a true definition in their background. Since the background of both Mary and Lisa do not define marriage or had a troubled married life from their parents, it is evident that Peter’s relationships were weak and did not lead to a marriage. His siblings on the other hand would have found partners that came from parents that shared a great and supportive married lifestyle, thus pursuing them to follow their path.