Coping With Infidelity

Infidelity arises whenever an individual slot in a relationship with another that breach these characteristics of marriage. This occurs when the new connection results in a breakdown of belief; build up intimacy with another that belongs in the marriage; when experiences are shared with the new individual that become more significant than the shared experiences in the marriage. Infidelity can take place without sex. Simply stated, marriage is a commitment to seek mutual fulfillment, to make your own satisfaction dependent on your spouse's. The 1st steps taken when infidelity occurs are 1) to decide to seek completion through someone else and, 2) to come to a decision to do this secretly. In a sense, whatever a individual decides to give to a new partner outside the marriage is taken from his or her partner: time, money, confidences, special experiences, or intimacies. An individual might feel a similar sense of disloyalty if their spouse becomes compulsively concerned in alcohol, work, or various activities. In these cases, the element of confidentiality is typically not as devastating, and there is not another individual alienating the spouse from the marriage.