The Propensity for Irrational Beliefs Among Young Adults of Divorced Parents
Summary Within the framework of Rational Emotive models and the Intergenerational Transmission Theory, the present study tests the hypothesis that the propensity for irrational thinking is greater among young adults of divorced parents than among their counterparts of married parents. Sixty students (30 of married and 30 of divorced parents) responded to the Propensity for Irrational Beliefs (PIB) and Measure of Intimacy questionnaires. The results reveal an opposite trend from the expected direction, that is, subjects of married parents scored higher than the control group on the PIB. Furthermore, the results show no relationship between the two dependent variables: degree of intimacy and propensity for irrational thinking. These results are discussed within the context of other demonstrated effects of parental divorce on children and possible future directions for similar research.