The Prevalence of Infidelity in Marriage

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Many people promise to love their spouse ‘til death do them apart, but research has proven this vow to be broken after seven years. Statistics show infidelity is one of the leading causes of marital disruption and divorce; one in every three marriages end in divorce. Affairs have become common today more than ever and slowly rising are online affairs which are equally harmful. “Extramarital affairs range from brief sexual encounters to full-blown romantic affairs.” (Knox and Schacht, 315) Adultery is being disloyal, cheating, and unfaithful in a marriage, yet people have created words like “sleeping around” and “fooling around” to minimize its severity and justify adultery as a guilt free act. No longer do we live in the 1950’s - a time when divorce was strongly disapproved. Today, society has created these phrases disguising the perception of adultery. People have also created their individual values, which lead them to pursue personal happiness. What people don’t realize is that infidelity actually hurts everyone involved; it destroys families, self-esteem, trust, careers, and leaves a residue of pain and desperation.

There are many reasons why men and women decide to commit, are committing, or have committed adultery. Feldman and Cauffman (1999a) found 53% of participants of a survey endorsed the most common motive: attraction. Following, was partner absence with 48% and being unable to resist sexual opportunities. Finally, a third of participants who engaged in infidelity reported sexual dissatisfaction and insecurity within their relationship. Marriages become vulnerable to adultery when their needs are not met or satisfied, causing an extramarital affair. Though it is unmoral for either sex to commit adultery and involve...

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...ipulative and non-caring. Neto, Deschamps, and Barros (2000) classify men to be ludic lovers. The ludic love style is lived by the motto “Love ‘em and leave ‘em” (Knox and Schacht, 60).

Works Cited

Basow, S.A. 1992. Gender: Stereotypes and roles. 3d ed. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole.

Bird, C. E., and A.M. Fremont. 1991. Gender, time, use, and health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 32: 114-29

Feldman, S. S., & Cauifaman, E. (1999a). Sexual betrayal among late adolescents: Perspectives of the perpetrator and the aggrieved. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28, 235-258.

Knox, David and Caroline Schacht. Choices in Relationships: An Introduction to Marriage and the Family. Belmont: California. 2005. Print.

Neto, F., J. C. Deschamps, J. Barros. 2000. Cross-cultural variations in attitudes toward love. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology

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