Consistent with the assumption that attributions about the causes of
events are often self-serving, individuals tended to attribute the cause of
the divorce more often to their former spouses than to themselves—a finding
noted in one prior study (Gray & Silver, 1990). We also found that
causal attributions were associated with adjustment to divorce, although
not always in the manner anticipated. Curiously, individuals who blamed
themselves for the divorce reported the strongest attachment to their exspouses.
Accepting primary responsibility for the disruption of a marriage
is likely to engender feelings of guilt and remorse. These individuals may
be preoccupied with their former spouses and even hold lingering fantasies
of reconciliation (“Take me back”). However, although we expected
only a moderate level of coping among those in the blame-relationship
category, these individuals had the most positive general adjustment, the
lowest level of attachment to former spouses, and experienced increases
(rather than decreases) in their appraisals of life. Moreover, although we
assumed that blaming external factors (or the former spouse)would facilitate
adjustment, these individuals had the lowest level of adjustment and a
relatively high level of attachment.