Signs of Infidelity In Relationships Love And Hypnotherapy
Infidelity—also referred to as cheating or adultery—describes the act of engaging in emotional or sexual intimacy with someone outside the agreed-upon boundaries of your marriage or relationship. Infidelity may or may not involve sexual encounters, and can happen in person or online.
Infidelity is, unfortunately, common. Rates of infidelity in relationships vary from about 20% to 50%. Infidelity can have a strong impact on the relationship and can lead to depression, guilt, blame, and anger.
Signs of Infidelity
It can be difficult to know if your partner is cheating on you without concrete evidence. However, there are some warning signs that your spouse may be engaging in infidelity. When it comes to infidelity, there will usually be multiple red flags that clue you into what is going on.
Some potential signs of infidelity include:
You may notice significant changes in your sex life, such that your partner is less interested in sex than usual and has trouble becoming sexually aroused with you or that your partner is much more interested in sex with you than they usually are
Your partner may want to engage in sexual activities that seem foreign or off-putting to you
Your partner may be paying more attention to their appearance than usual
Your partner may not be sleeping well
Your partner may seem unusually distracted and stressed
Your partner may be more private than usual and may demand more privacy
Your partner may be spending more time away from home or going on longer and more frequent trips for work or with friends
You may find it more difficult to connect with your partner, and they may be more reactive, more hostile, or colder than usual
You may also experience sleeplessness, stress, and distraction as a result of your suspicions about your partner’s behaviour
Causes of Infidelity
Many of us have the idea that infidelity only happens in unhappy relationships, but even people in happy relationships cheat. Infidelity often happens because of dissatisfaction within a relationship, but it can also happen because of low self-esteem, or an addiction to sex or romance. At other times, it happens because of personality traits, a permissive attitude about sex, and cultural and societal norms about sex and relationships that support infidelity.
Some studies show that men are more likely to cheat than women, but others show that men are more likely to engage in sexual infidelity, whereas women are more likely to engage in emotional infidelity. People with higher sexual urges are more likely to engage in infidelity, as are people with higher levels of insecurity, who may be seeking validation through an affair
Types of Infidelity
Infidelity doesn’t just look like someone going out to a motel and having a secret sexual affair. Cheating can take many forms and doesn’t always involve in-person encounters. It’s also important to note that what may constitute infidelity for one person may not ring true for another.
For example, while some people consider viewing pornography “cheating,” others may view this as normal and acceptable. The point is that each couple should clearly define what is and isn’t allowed in their relationship and which activities would constitute a boundary violation.
The main types of infidelity that most couples recognize are:
Sexual Infidelity
This involves engaging in sexual relations of any kind outside of the relationship. There may or may not be an emotional component here.
Emotional Infidelity
The difference between a platonic relationship and a case of emotional infidelity is that the relationship involves flirting, sexual chemistry, and a level of emotional intimacy similar to romantic relationships. Additionally, there is secrecy involved: information about the relationship is often purposefully hidden.
Online Infidelity
Online, or cyber infidelity, involves engaging in sexual or emotional affairs online, via chat rooms, messages, texts, and exchanging of photos and sexual fantasies. Some people consider viewing pornography without engaging with others a type of cheating, while others do not.
Impact of Infidelity
Infidelity can have serious impacts on relationships and the individuals involved, including those who are cheated on, and those who do the cheating. When infidelity impacts a relationship, it can leave the people in it feeling highly distressed, depressed, and out of sorts. It can cause heightened anxiety, suicidal ideation, and signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The person who was cheated on may feel deeply betrayed, and suspicious of their spouse’s activities going forward. They may experience nightmares, and flashbacks, and may have images of the affair playing in their head as if on a movie reel. Trust may be severed, and difficult to repair.
Finally, infidelity can strain or break apart relationships or marriages. Infidelity is one of the top reasons that couples go to relationship counselling, and it’s one of the most common reasons for divorce
Therapy for infidelity usually begins with the therapist creating a safe and supportive space for each partner to share their feelings, needs, and relationship goals. Reasons for the affair may be explored to gain greater awareness about the root causes and the couple may decide whether to mend or end the relationship.
