Research Title: Infidelity In Marriage: Contributing Factors and Its Consequences
Neme of Members: Hariette Gaiban
Date: March 21, 2022
Camille Torres
Camille Rapisura
Jezel Bawingan
Jolina Hulaton
Background of the Study:
Infidelity in the marriage is one of the issues currently we have in this era. We
cannot deny it is happening in this twenty-first century. Most common issue related to
infidelity is sexual intercourse with the third partner beside the legal wife. Extramarital sex
is considered as betray toward the marriage. It can be described like having sex
outside the marriage. There are some factors can be connected to the infidelity issue
such as marital jealousy, lack of paternal care in children, discomfort in marriage,
educational attainment, and dissatisfy in sexual experience. This fault is no longer
labeled for men only but also to the women.
Nowadays, infidelity is the most important reason of divorces. The purpose of this
study is to explore and discover about what are the factors contribute to the
extramarital sex and .. Based on research reports, 90% of all divorces involve infidelity.
Infidelity and Christian marriage have been in existence long ago and are
characterized by complexities, confusion, problems and difficulties.
Literature Review:
Infidelity is the number one reason for divorce today. According to research
reports, 90% of all divorces are related to unfaithfulness. As a result, infidelity is
becoming an important topic in the psychological literature and is receiving a great
deal of attention from researchers. Infidelity has also been studied in the literature from
a range of perspectives, including motivations, types, cues, education level, gender
differences, treatment, and spouse personality, among others.
Various research on the impact of education level on infidelity have indicated
that highly educated people are more likely to participate in extramarital sex (Atkins et
al, 2001). They came to the conclusion that there is a link between divorce and
educational attainment, and that the link between education and infidelity is only
significant for divorced couples (Atkins et al. 2001). It is found that education has a
substantial relationship with infidelity in married women with different levels of
education than their partners. Data from earlier studies revealed that those with a high
degree of education are more likely to commit infidelity (Frank D., 2017).
Education level, personality opportunity, attachment type, economic level and
employment, race, culture, religion, and marital satisfaction are all discussed in the
literature on infidelity. These causes for adultery were split into five categories by
Drigotas et al (1999): sexuality-emotional pleasure, social setting, attitudes-norms, and
revenge-hostility. The urge for sexual variety has been the subject of research on
sexuality concerns and the chance of sexual income with one's partner as prevalent
motives for adultery (Frank D., 2017). The majority of the emotional satisfaction research
has focused on marital satisfaction. Education level, personality opportunity,
attachment type, income level and employment, race, and culture were all common
social contextual factors (Frank D., 2017). The research on infidelity attitudes (partners
with liberal sexual attitudes) is more likely to participate in adultery, according to a
review of the literature (Drigotas et al 1999).
According to certain research, only a tiny number of infected couples can save
their marriage following an affair and not all infected marriages result in divorce (Mayo
Clinic, 2021). The majority of studies on the effects of infidelity revealed negative results
such as fury, loss of trust, diminished personal and sexual confidence, lowered selfesteem, fear of abandonment, and an increase in reason to leave the spouse (Mayo
Clinic, 2021). It is found that couples who divorce due to their spouse's infidelity are less
depressed than those who split for other reasons. The divorce was started by the
unfaithful spouse, but the loyal spouse is more likely to suffer from depression. When a
spouse's infidelity is discovered, the person must decide whether to forgive the other
and stay with or to end the relationship. Men and women who have faced distinct
adaptive issues over evolutionary history associated to various sorts of infidelity have
diverse reactions to their partners' infidelity, according to Mayo Clinic et al (2021). Men
have a harder time forgiving sexual infidelity than emotional adultery, and they are
more likely to abandon a relationship as a result of a partner's sexual infidelity.
Treatments are mentioned in one group of studies on infidelity. From a clinical
perspective, Atkins et al. (2005) investigated whether it is beneficial for couples to see
betrayal as a process rather than a one-time incident. Couples who had an affair and
did not keep it a secret, on the other hand, improved in satisfaction more than others.
They also found that the unfaithful spouse is more distressed than the non-involved
spouse, and that both partners are making similar progress in therapy.
Infidelity has been studied in the literature from a variety of perspectives.
Infidelity research, like other humanistic study disciplines, appears to have some
unsolved questions. More research is needed in the future to expand understanding
about infidelity and collectively to avoid ruining marriage difficulties, because to the
relevance of this topic to couple therapists and social psychologists. Some of the
unfaithful man's wife's investment may be lost to another lady. For at least one
childbearing cycle, the husband of an unfaithful wife may lose his wife's whole
reproductive capacity. He also runs the danger of investing long-term resources in a
competitor's offspring. Given the prevalence of adultery and the costs associated with
infidelity and divorce, what distinguishes couples who separate from those who stay
together after infidelity is an important empirical question. As a result, further social
psychology research on infidelity is required. Overall, the various gaps discovered
during the assessment of infidelity literature have been disclosed, indicating the need
for more research.
Definition of Terms:
References:
Atkins, D. C., Eldridge, K. A., Baucom, D. H., & Christensen, A. (2005). Infidelity and
behavioral couple therapy: optimism in the face of betrayal. Journal of consulting and
clinical psychology, 73(1), 144–150. Infidelity and behavioral couple therapy: optimism
in the face of betrayal - PubMed (nih.gov). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15709841/
Frank D. Fincham and Ross W. May (2017). Current Opinion in Psychology