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Infidelity Essay

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In today’s society, infidelity is one of the leading causes of marital disruption and divorce. In accordance with societal norms many myths have been associated with infidelity. The following myths and their effects on marriage will be discussed: Everyone has affairs, the affair is the direct result of the faithful mate and, the marriage must end in divorce. In examining the various myths, this paper will challenge the greater issue, can marriage survive infidelity? There was a time when more smart-conscious decisions were made relating to sexual relationships. In particular, sexual relationships within a marriage. However, times have changed. The pillars that hold up our individual sexual values have started to crumble. …show more content…

This sort of affair is usually committed by men who are afraid of control by women, and who are in love with their masculinity. They believe that “love” is a game that they are constantly playing. They are no good at marriage since the game involves obtaining women and discarding them. Each one is like a trophy. The Accidental, Romantic and Philanders affairs are the three most common and therefore it is easy to see why many believe that “everyone has affairs”. The truth is that not everyone has affairs. In fact, affairs are not normal behaviour, rather they are a symptom of a missing element or a problem that exists in a marriage. When conducting the survey, needs met by an affair is different for males and females. Males want sex and freedom, whereas females want to be needed and loved. Although they may be many reasons why a spouse may cheat, females have a tendency to feel emotionally empty (figure 2). Everyone is responsible for his or her own actions. Adults are able to make rational decisions for themselves. However, the second myth that evolves from infidelity in marriage is the idea that the affair was the direct result of the faithful spouse - “you made me do it.” However, Frank Pittman, a family therapist believes that “the relationship between the affair and the problems blamed for the affair becomes increasingly confusing. It is often difficult to believe that there is any relationship.” How can a spouse

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