Infidelity Support – Infidelity Forum, News, and Info about Infidelity, Adultery and Cheating in a Marriage

Types of Infidelity

Infidelity comes in many forms and there are a variety of terms used to describe the different types of infidelity. These terms include adultery, cheating, sexual affair, affair of the heart, extra-marital affair, unfaithfulness, and more. However, there is a general principle that brings all these types together under the broad category of infidelity.

In general, infidelity is a violation of trust by one or both members of a monogamous relationship relating to a third party individual, with whom that member has an improper relationship. Not all couples view relationships the same way, and what one couple would define as an improper relationship may not seen as improper by another. In addition, many cultures and countries have different ideas of what constitutes infidelity and what effect it has on society and the relationship or marriage. It is important for a couple, no matter what their location, religion or cultural beliefs may be, to define what is acceptable and what will violate the trust of the relationship. This is usually refered to as setting boundaries.

Common types of infidelity that a majority of couples, cultures and countries view as improper can be categorized as Adultery, Sexual Infidelity, Emotional Infidelity, Online Infidelity and Pornography. Please see below for more information on each of these topics.

To discuss this topic and any other matter concerning infidelity, adultery, a cheating spouse, or any type of unfaithfulness, please visit the Infidelity Support Forum. You can also post a comment at the bottom of this page.

Adultery

Adultery is a type of sexual infidelity that is specific to a married couple. If an improper sexual relationship occurs and one or both of the people involved are married, it is the cheating husband or cheating wife who commits adultery. If one of the people involved in this improper relationship is not married, they are not committing adultery, though this certainly does not excuse them from being involved in infidelity.

Adultery has many religious, cultural and legal implications and consequences.  Adultery is seen as a crime in some countries, and can have slight or extreme punishments. While it is not necessary for this site to go into the cultural or religious differences, the legal aspects of adultery are significant. In most places where adultery is not seen as a criminal offense, it can have an affect on the outcome of various legal proceedings, espeically in divorce cases. It can factor into the decisions of property settlements and child custody cases, and possibly other case types as well.

Sexual Infidelity

Sexual infidelity is, of course, any sexual relationship that occurs outside of the marriage or monogamous couple. This type of infidelity is commonly a “one night stand”, a “fling” or any other phrase that can refer to an emotionally detached sexual relationship. This means that the cheating partner is not in it to become involved with the other person, rather they are committing infidelity for the sex. It is more common for a man to be committing sexual infidelity than a woman, however it certainly can and does occur from both sexes, especially at younger ages. It is usually a loss of sexual interest in their partner that causes someone to commit sexual infidelity. This person may still be in love with their spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend, but their sex life is not what they desire, or has become stale.

Specific to adultery, the first year of a marriage is one common time for sexual infidelity to occur. At this point there is not as strong of an emotional attachment to one’s spouse as occurs further into the marriage, and the excitement over the marriage has faded. Another common time for sexual infidelity to occur is after the birth of a first child. Sometimes a husband will lose sexual interest in his wife after this occurs. Also, after many years of a marriage as the routine sets in the relationship can become stale or boring for one or both sides, the need for new experience and sexual desires may lead to infidelity.

Emotional Infidelity

Emotional infidelity is a type of unfaithfulness that involves a person falling in love with, or at least having strong emotional feelings for, someone outside of the committed relationship. This type of infidelity is often referred to as an “affair of the heart”. Although sex can be involved in this type of infidelity, it is not necessary for the betrayal of trust to occur. Affairs of the heart may be much more damaging to a relationship than affairs that are merely sexual in nature. While a sexual affair can be seen as only physical desire or needs and may only be a one time bad decision, emotional affairs are usually longer lasting and based on true feelings and a real desire to be with this person instead of their spouse or partner. Women are more likely to be involved in an emotional affair, as often times men can be uncaring or distant to a woman’s feelings. However, as in the case of sexual infidelity, men can and are guilty of committing emotional infidelity in many cases.

Online Infidelity

Online infidelity occurs between two people over the internet using any of the means of communication available, such as email, chat rooms, private messaging, web cams, etc. Many people will find it is easier to commit online infidelity because it is more discrete and there is a certain detachment involved between the internet and normal life. While sexual and emotional infidelity can occur from a relationship formed through online infidelity, they are not necessary and, in fact, the two never even need to meet in person for the damage to be done to the committed relationship. It is important for a couple to determine what level of communication through electronic means is acceptable in the relationship, and how far they can go with online flirting before the other person gets hurt.

Pornography

As with online infidelity, pornography, especially pornography on the internet, is much easier to commit and carries less feelings of guilt due to its discrete nature and level of detatchment. In many relationships pornography may be considered acceptable, but in others one or both people involved in the relationship may consider it a breach of trust. The online pornography industry takes up a large percentage of traffic and revenue of internet business, and is a major concern for keeping the trust in a relationship. As with all aspects of infidelity, it is important for a couple to set the rules regarding pornography and what is acceptable and what is breaking the trust.

Please see our list of Infidelity and Adultery Links and References for source information.