Public Service Announcement it Is

Public Service Announcement It is generally agreed that the institution of marriage appears to be in crisis. Indeed, the divorce statistics are frightening. The reasons cited for this have been as varied as the people citing them: some hold that divorce has been made to easy, while others feel that there is a general breakdown of interpersonal communication that could be solved by counseling.

A third group holds that it is a religious problem: people have turned away from what they see as fundamental truths, and therefore commit the "sin" of divorce. Perhaps it is true that couples all too easily opt for divorce rather than working out what could be minor problems. Perhaps the high divorce rate is a combination of all the problems mentioned. Nonetheless, the issue is a manifestation of the hurried lives we live, with little time for interaction even with ourselves, much less with our partners.

The public service announcement (PSA) will therefore focus on techniques to regain contact with the self, and through this, reestablish contact with a partner. Overview According to authors such as Bob Narindra and Sandra T. Spalding, communication is one of the most important foundations of a good marriage. However, the way in which this communication occurs can become problematic. One of the partners may for example communicate by fighting all the time, while the other partner responds by being fearful for the majority of their lives together.

Others may interact with silence, facial expressions, and gestures. Communication styles differ among people. The particular style is not of importance. What is important, is that communication should occur effectively. Each partner needs to be able to interact in a way that makes him or her feel satisfied and valued. This often does not happen, and I believe that the core of the problem is a lack of self-esteem in at least one partner. This can be remedied by self-love. According to Spalding, loving oneself is not selfish.

Indeed, it is the one thing that will ensure that those with whom the person interacts are also happy and valued individuals. The problem with complete self-sacrifice for the marriage partner or other persons in the household is that it creates resentment. The self-sacrificing person feels that he or she is being used without ever receiving anything in return.

Having chosen such a lifestyle, the person is then unable to articulate how he or she truly feels, and is therefore obliged to carry on suffering, either in silence or with harsh words towards the other people in the household. This leads to a breakdown in effective communication. The problem related to this is the fact that the mental processes mentioned above occurs on a subconscious level. Hence not even the person failing to communicate effectively understands the reasons for this being so.

This makes it very difficult to understand that the problem can be addressed and solves, and therefore the marriage has a higher likelihood of ending in divorce. The topic of the PSA will focus on these issues by announcing a workshop specifically addressing what it means to love oneself. The heading could be something along the lines of "Loving you, loving me: rediscovering your perfect spouse." The premise will then be that a person can only love someone else effectively if he or she values and loves him- or herself.

The PSA poster can then perhaps have hearts, stars, wedding rings, or some similar graphic to symbolically indicate love. Underneath the heading, there will be an invitation to the workshop, with the time and place. The poster will also indicate some of the major topics to be addressed in the workshop, for example: "On the brink of divorce? Stop. Learn how to value yourself and love your partner. Stop the self-sacrifice and start the self-love. Be free, and share yourself.

Create a beautiful life with your partner." These phrases could be presented as bullet points underneath the invitation. The opening question could be emphasized by printing it in a different color or in larger text than the rest of the poster. The central aim is to curb the divorce problem by showing couples techniques to reestablish effective communication and love one another without giving up their own right to self-esteem.

Target Audience The target audience is married couples who feel that they might be in trouble, or possibly also those having severe problems in their marriage. I am not sure of couples experiencing only mild problems should be grouped with those on the brink of divorce. Nevertheless, I believe the techniques will be of use to both. Two different workshops could be arranged for those with mild and those with severe problems.

The couples can be from any ethnic background and age group, since the issue is a globally human one rather than one related to a specific group in terms of age or ethnicity. It is projected that most of the couples will be married for some time - probably more than one year. This is not a requirement for the workshop, however. I have chosen this population, because the target of the workshop is to help people find ways to communicate more effectively by valuing themselves first.

Self-love is often the first victim in troubled marriages. The loss of self-love leads to a loss of self-esteem and self-respect. This leads to resentment, and the problem exacerbates via the reactions of the partner. Partners often only need to be aware of the core problem in order to take the first steps towards remedy rather than divorce. In choosing this audience, the aim is to address one of the greatest social problems in Western societies today. Marriages that end in divorce are particularly tragic when children are involved.

It is likely that more often than not such children will not learn to communicate effectively or love themselves adequately in their own lives, and the problem perpetuates itself. Learning objectives The main learning objective is that the readers of the PSA need to understand that something can be done about problematic marriages. It may not be necessary to file for divorce if both partners are willing to provide both themselves and each other with love and respect. It is possible to be happy in marriage.

This is a further objective. Many people, both in life and in their marriage, are unhappy. The PSA should therefore include graphics and phrases that indicate how self-love and communicating effectively within a marriage can bring them.