Cascade Model

From this week's readings, I found this concept to be meaningful because I think it very accurately describes the stages people go through when they are disengaging from their marriage. It is described as a "decline in marital satisfaction, which leads to consideration of separation or divorce, which leads to separation, which leads to divorce." A woman I know went through this process and as far as I know, these are the exact steps she went through. Of course the entire process was not as straightforward as the cascade model might seem, but generally this is accurate. What's sad is that the marital satisfaction started on their honeymoon. They argued to the point that she came back alone. Ultimately, they were divorced in a matter of a couple of years. So that couple is a prime example of "relatively greater amount of negativity (versus positivity) appears to predict early divorce." (p. 332) I think the authors are right when they say that positive maintenance behaviors and support keep relationships intact, because we all know that every relationship has its ups and downs.