research paper infidelity
Running head: INFIDELITY IN MARRIAGE
Infidelity In Marriage
Lisa Tolles
University of Lincoln at Kearney
1
INFIDELITY IN MARRIAGE
2
Infidelity In Marriage
When thinking about a solid marriage, one of the things I think about is sexual fidelity.
Unfortunately sexual infidelity in marriage is a problem many couples face. There are different ways to deal with infidelity in marriage, such as counseling or divorce. The question for me is,
What factors lead to marital infidelity?
I’m going to start by explaining why finding out different reasons for marital infidelity is important. First of all in order to be able to help a couple who comes in for counseling regarding infidelity, you need to understand different factors that lead to infidelity. Not every marriage that deals with infidelity will end in divorce. Also because each marriage is different you have to look at the dynamics of the marriage when looking at infidelity in a marriage.
Next I will go over some studies that have already been done on this subject. In an article titled “Is infidelity a cause or a consequence of poor marital quality?”, authors Dennis Previti and
Paul Amato took a 17 year study of over 2,00 married people and followed deteriorations in the marriages (Previti & Amato, 2004). The study was assessing if marital infidelity caused divorces or if a marriage that was already on track for a divorce caused infidelity. The findings were that both occurred, infidelity is a consequence of poor marital quality as well as the cause of deterioration and eventual divorce.
In another article by Dennis Bagarozzi Sr., he stated that there are at least 7 different categories that people fall into when they have affairs and it looked at each one in depth
(Bagarozzi, 2008).
INFIDELITY IN MARRIAGE
3
The article also stated that personality factors need to be looked at to see if there is a disorder or not. Some personality factors that Bagarozzi Sr. came up with that lead to infidelity are ego
Infidelity In Marriage
Lisa Tolles
University of Lincoln at Kearney
1
INFIDELITY IN MARRIAGE
2
Infidelity In Marriage
When thinking about a solid marriage, one of the things I think about is sexual fidelity.
Unfortunately sexual infidelity in marriage is a problem many couples face. There are different ways to deal with infidelity in marriage, such as counseling or divorce. The question for me is,
What factors lead to marital infidelity?
I’m going to start by explaining why finding out different reasons for marital infidelity is important. First of all in order to be able to help a couple who comes in for counseling regarding infidelity, you need to understand different factors that lead to infidelity. Not every marriage that deals with infidelity will end in divorce. Also because each marriage is different you have to look at the dynamics of the marriage when looking at infidelity in a marriage.
Next I will go over some studies that have already been done on this subject. In an article titled “Is infidelity a cause or a consequence of poor marital quality?”, authors Dennis Previti and
Paul Amato took a 17 year study of over 2,00 married people and followed deteriorations in the marriages (Previti & Amato, 2004). The study was assessing if marital infidelity caused divorces or if a marriage that was already on track for a divorce caused infidelity. The findings were that both occurred, infidelity is a consequence of poor marital quality as well as the cause of deterioration and eventual divorce.
In another article by Dennis Bagarozzi Sr., he stated that there are at least 7 different categories that people fall into when they have affairs and it looked at each one in depth
(Bagarozzi, 2008).
INFIDELITY IN MARRIAGE
3
The article also stated that personality factors need to be looked at to see if there is a disorder or not. Some personality factors that Bagarozzi Sr. came up with that lead to infidelity are ego
References: Bagarozzi, D.R. (2008). Understanding and treating marital infidelity: A multidimensional model. American Journal Of Family Therapy, 36 (1) 1-17. Previti, D., & Amato, P.R. (2004). Is infidelity a cause or a consequences of poor marital quality?. Journal Of Social And Personal Relationships, 21 (2), 217-230. Russell, V., Baker, L.R., & McNulty, J.K. (2013). Attachment in security and infidelity in marriage: Do studies of dating relationships really inform us about marriage?. Journal Of Family Psychology, 27 (2), 242-251.