unreasonable conduct

Conduct of a respondent that may be evidence that a marriage has broken down irretrievably, entitling the petitioner to a divorce. Such conduct need not be unreasonable in itself - the real test is whether it is reasonable to expect the petitioner to continue living with the respondent, taking into account the behaviour of both spouses and their particular personalities and characteristics. For example, the behaviour may be morally blameless (as in the case of an insane spouse) or it may be 'positive' (active) or 'negative' (passive); each case will depend upon its own specific facts. See also *breakdown of marriage.