A study of some of the general characteristics of families involved in desertions in Winnipeg during the month of October 1957

Abstract

Disharmony in marriage has been approached from many points of view. Psychologists, sociologists, clergymen, physicians, psychiatrists, educators, lawyers, and social workers - all have examined aspects of the problem. The following is an attempt to examine a segment of this field through families that are involved in desertion. From reading about the subject, it appears that the basic causes of desertion, like those of divorce, are found in marital discord. But there is one additional factor in the case of desertion which is not present in connection with divorce. The person who initiates a petition for divorce is following the rules which society has laid down for those who wish to sever the family bonds. The rights of the family will be protected by the court. But the deserter appears to be one who does not take responsibilty for the pressures of life and family, and allows both the law and the rights and needs of his family to be neglected. The question thus arises as to whether or not certain groups in our population are especially lacking in certain scruples. With this in mind, I would like to base the following project on some of the general characteristics of the husbands, wives, and children as listed in the identifying information of the various sample cases. Discussions of desertion usually emphasize the fact that the cause of broken homes is domestic discord. This shows that the primary problem is martial unhappiness, and not the desertion in which it eventuates. Perhaps, in most cases, too much attention is given to the final break, and not enough to the underlying family crisis. Because of this, I would like to compare the results of studying these characteristics with other studies completed on marital adjustment, and see if our findings have a relation to marital discord findings...