Turning points and commitment in post-divorce relationships

The purpose of this study was to illuminate the post-divorce experience through identifying turning points, reported commitment level, and patterns characteristic of post-divorce relationships. Eleven turning points were identified and mean change in commitment level was assessed via the Retrospective Interview Technique (RIT), which requires participants to plot their relational stories on a graph. Upon visual examination, five patterns of post-divorce relationships emerged from a holistic assessment and categorization of all RIT graphs. Implications for the application of turning points to the study of post-divorce relationships are discussed, and research directions identified.