What is infidelity and how does it impact a relationship? Infidelity, or cheating, involves being unfaithful to one’s partner or spouse. It typically means engaging in sexual or romantic relations with a person other than one’s significant other, breaking a commitment or promise of faithfulness to one another.
Marriages and other intimate relationships fall apart for a variety of reasons, but there are top reasons that lead down the path to infidelity. Once a partner finds out about a cheating spouse, then it’s a sure thing the relationship is on the rocks.
Infidelity in relationships can quickly lead to a break up of the relationship or a divorce in the case of a marriage. Let’s take a look at why so many partners turn to cheat on their loved ones when things are not working out between them.
Why Do Loves One’s Cheat on Their Spouses?
It’s an age-old question of why loved ones cheat on their spouses when their partners are supposed to be the closest to them in the whole world. These are the top three reasons for infidelity in relationships, and why they occur in the first place.
- Loss of intimacy – Often, lack of emotional or physical intimacy leads to one or both partners feeling emotionally abandoned or alone. In cases where one or both partners struggle with fear of intimacy, this can result in one or both partners being emotionally unavailable. If either of these scenarios is not addressed, the relationship remains stagnant.
- Loss of trust – Trust, along with healthy communication, is the foundation of a healthy, viable relationship. When trust is lost, partners often engage in behaviors such as blame, ridicule, and anger, which perpetuate relationship discontent and lead to a continuous pattern of action and reaction. or else a total shutdown by one or both partners.
- Dishonesty – Healthy communication involves honesty in words and deeds. Lying, or covering up, one’s indiscretions erodes confidence in the strength of one’s relationship and often leads to continuous deceit and cover-up to preserve one’s integrity. The opposite of this approach is for the cheater to “come clean” with their indiscretions, and then work towards repairing and rebuilding of the relationship.
Psychotherapy for Cheating Partners
Few marital problems or relationship issues cause as much heartache and devastation as infidelity, which undermines the foundation of marriage itself. The Counseling Center for Growth and Recovery offers a supportive, solution-focused, and evidence-based approach to helping couples explore their relationship problems through couples therapy and move past hurt and resentments, to reconnect with joy and purpose
We offer both in-office and virtual counseling sessions and look forward to hearing from anyone in search of caring and compassionate help from a marriage therapist in Delray Beach, FL., or around the area.
