Okonkwo
(2005) observed that marital instability is ravaging many families
today. He showed that marital problems are no longer individual problem but societal
own hence it affects many families. "In
trying to portray its seriousness, he said that marital crisis has grown to a destructive stage that
people and government can no longer pretend that all is well.
According to Ezeh
(2000) marital instability relates to the various
phenomena of dysfunctional communication patterns and other negative behaviour traits among couples in
their marital
lives. He agreed with
Okonkwo (2005) that marital problems are indeed a social problem in Nigeria and deserves due attention.
Also,
in trying to bring into sharp focus what marital instability is all
about, he said that marital problems call to mind such issues as
instability in the homes, breakdown in marital relationship, marital
violence, wife battering and so forth. Marital instability is not
a marriage that is totally broken down but a marriage that failed
to meet up with all the marital expectations.
That
is to say that for marriage to be successful the two couple must
meet most of many of their marital hopes and aspirations. In many marriages
each partner consciously or unconsciously seeks to give
each the love, understanding and moral support that enable them to feel both
valued and accepted. (Okonkwo, 2005).