Why Infidelity Happens
By Drs. Evelyn and Paul Moschetta
Hurt feelings covered over by anger are another reason affairs happen. The spouse who cheats is very often acting out an anger from within their marriage. This doesn’t mean they are justified in doing so. It means their ability to deal with feelings in a less hurtful way is flawed. It is never a good idea to cope with or try to solve a problem in your marriage by getting involved with someone else outside it.
Dan had an affair with his secretary when he and his marriage hit middle age. “Once the kids were gone, Alice focused all of her attention on me. Negative attention that is. She complained about everything and nothing. I could do made her happy. We argued over stuff that never seemed important before. I hate to argue so I hold a lot of stuff in. Rather than come home and fight I stayed at the office longer. That was it. Susan was my secretary for eight years. I complained. She listened. It was a line I should never have crossed.”
Once a marriage hits middle age a lot can go wrong. Women and men change, emotionally and physically. What they need from each other also changes as do their patterns and of communicating. Once children grow up and leave, wives need a greater level of interest and caring is difficult for most men. They usually don’t understand what is required of them. Even when they do understand, being more emotionally expressive doesn’t come easy. Frustration settles in as both partners feel misunderstood and unappreciated. Once this happens the likelihood that of outside involvement becomes much greater.
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