Several jurisdictions have attempted to render divorce more harmonious by abolishing matrimonial 'fault' and facilitating the resolution of divorce disputes by mediation. This book presents a challenge to the underlying assumptions that 'conflict' and the adversarial system are undesirable, particularly topical in the light of the recent decision of the British Government to postpone the implementation of the Family Law Act 1996 and the acknowledged need for research to inform policy.

Contents: Introduction: changing families, changing law; Divorce dispute resolution: a review of the literature; The psychology of divorce: a review of the literature; Theory and method for a psychosocial approach to divorce; Divorce: symptoms and feelings; Stories, genres, psychologies; Conclusions; Bibliography; Appendices; Index.