A child who is not granted a familial environment that is fundamentally consistent and harmonious will be more than likely to develop inconsistently, primarily psychologically and, perhaps even physically, in comparison to the accepted standards. This would idealistically make for a scenario within which the child grows into an adult who is under developed or rather, has not been given the chance to develop the behavioral and character traits considered as normal or average. It is barely surprising, thus speaking and considering the implications of this, that divorce is an issue that must be addressed as immediately and urgently as possible by all branches of the Nigerian governments. Researchers of self-esteem have debated the effects of parental marital status on the self-esteem of adolescents and children in general, and the results have supported differing points of view. To further investigate this topic, the purpose of this thesis was to examine the various impacts of religious, educational, and demographic factors on the self-esteem [and self-actualization] of adolescents from divorced and intact families. Some of the factors investigated were parental marital status, traditional norms and customs, gender, tribal affiliation, and age-group. And where necessary and appropriate, the Igbo native laws, customs, and traditions were used for clarification. Findings suggested that there were no significant differences between gender and tribal affiliations on the self-esteem of adolescents from divorced and intact families in Nigeria. Of note worthy significance was that the Nigerian adolescents from intact and divorced families experienced painful emotional stresses and economic difficulties before and during marriage and, after divorce because of native laws and customs, extended family system, traditional/cultural norms, political influence, religious upbringing, and spousal age at marriage. For obvious reasons, children see divorce as something very traumatic. It is recommended that divorced parents should make time to instill in their child(ren) that both father and mother will still be and act like their parents, discipline them when needed, protect them from harm, follow consistent rules, not lean on the child(ren) for support but will provide support for the child(ren), and love the child(ren) and will remain in their lives. Implications on research and counseling were noted. (Contains 2 tables.) [Master's Thesis, University of Nigeria-Ibadan.]