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How conflict with a spouse can hurt the divorce process

On Behalf of | Mar 4, 2020 | Divorce

The divorce process can bring up many emotions for people in Pittsburgh, including anger and frustration. This could cause a person to lash out at a spouse. However, this can be harmful and might even affect how property is divided or child custody decisions are made.

One advantage to speaking calmly to a spouse is keeping stress levels down. Although it can feel satisfying in the moment, speaking in anger can contribute overall to negative feelings and have a bad effect on children as well. Attempting to keep things civil may also help preserve a co-parenting relationship after the divorce.

Sometimes, fights spill over into the professional sphere. A person may feel as though a spouse deserves it if an argument happens in the workplace, but it can affect that person’s earnings. In turn, this may influence how much property there is to divide. A person whose professional reputation and earning capacity has been damaged by conflict over the divorce might also have more leverage in decisions about property division. Conflict with a spouse can affect custody proceedings as well, making it look as though one parent is erratic and does not show good judgment. In all circumstances, people should try to avoid being drawn into an argument with a spouse. They should also avoid any conflict on social media.

Even if a couple is not in litigation, emotions about divorce can spill over into the negotiating process and cause problems. It is important for people to protect themselves financially in divorce, but they should not let anger at the spouse lead to stonewalling any kind of settlement. Some people may be tempted to agree to unfavorable division of property to get the divorce over with quickly. An attorney may be able to assist a person in determining what constitutes reasonable terms.

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