As summer vacations come to an end and couples in Texas get back their routines, some couples may begin to realize that the optimism they felt about spending the future with their spouse has dwindled and they are plagued by the same issues they had before summer began. According to a new report, this is known as a “broken promise theory” – couples spend a lot of time together in the summer and it can exacerbate previous stress between them. In some instances, vacations that go particularly well can raise a couple’s hopes and then dash them again as reality sets back in.
This may be the reason researchers discovered that divorce filings peak in August, among other times of the year. According to the researchers, the filings seem to follow a family’s annual social schedule-they are lowest in November and December and then peak after winter holidays and Valentine’s Day. They are also very low in July and then rise again in mid-August. The trend is consistent regardless of whether the couple has children or not.
The researchers explain that it could be because couples don’t want to get divorced during socially sensitive periods in the calendar, and then continue to delay the divorce because of the broken promise theory. But, once the optimism dies down, couples realize they can no longer work through their issues and decide to end their marriage.
Making the decision to end a marriage, regardless of what month it is in, is a difficult one to make. Not all divorces are amicable, where couples can sit down and work through their issues and agree on a parenting or spousal support plan. Getting the right information can help Texas residents bring their issues to the forefront and finalize their divorce, either through an agreement or through litigation.
Source: Bloomberg, “Summer vacations can lead to divorce,” Ben Steverman, Aug. 22, 2016