专题38 为什么很多夫妻8年后离婚-2023年高考英语外刊阅读及模拟强化训练

Why Do So Many Couples Divorce After 8 Years? 为什么很多夫妻8年后离婚? 文章选自《今日心理学》 主题语境：人与社会 子语境：夫妻关系 原文出处：Psychology Today 语篇类型：说明文 关键词：couple；marriage；block；crisis 篇章导读：根据人口普查局的数据，离婚夫妇的平均初婚时间为8.2年，这反映了臭名昭著的“七年之痒”。但为什么要七年而不是11年或15年呢？下文将为你解疑答惑。 原汁原味外刊阅读及模拟强化训练 According to the census bureau, the average length of first marriages for divorcing couples is 8.2 years, reflecting the infamous "seven-year-itch." But why seven instead of, say, 11 or 15? Good question. Here’s the thinking. Adult development moves in roughly seven-year blocks. It’s a given that we not only change as we move through our adult lives, but as researchers such as Levinson, Vaillant, and Sheehy have found, there’s something about that six to 10-year zone: roughly seven years of stability and then two to three years of restlessness and transition before settling into the next stage. Sometimes the focus is on work and career—needing to take that job in Chicago—sometimes about aging and long-term plans, sometimes about working through your childhood and your relationship with parents—but sometimes it's about your intimate relationship. In the Beginning When you first fell in love, you psychologically needed something in your life—to get away from your parents, have stability or a baby, to feel important or cared for. While often never directly talked about, the other person provided this. You unconsciously made a deal: I’ll give you your number one thing, and you give me mine. Building a Life In the first couple of years, you build a life with rules and routines together, so you have stability and do not have to invent your life anew every day: Who takes out the trash, how often does my mother come over for dinner, who initiates sex? Some couples never get through this stage—they argue about lifestyle and expectations and get divorced—but most of us make it. The Crisis But five, six, seven, or eight years in, one of the (or usually both) partners gets