FORMER SPOUSES EXITING ROLE-IDENTITIES

Understanding role-identity exit is as important as understanding entr ance into roles and emergence of role-identities since individuals fre quently abandon and lose their roles. This study explores the process of exiting role-identities that individuals experience during the divo rce and post-divorce interactions. Results indicate a different role-i dentity exit process for initiators than for noninitiators, although m embers of each group passed through four stages. These different proce sses are described, and variables affecting the role-identity exit pro cess, such as degree of voluntariness, degree of awareness, and the de gree of control are briefly discussed.