Sexual Infidelity among Married Couples

Sexual Infidelity among Married Couples
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Sexual Infidelity among Married Couples
Subject Introduction
The selected subject to focus on is sexual infidelity among married couples. Sexual infidelity refers to sexual engagement outside an individual’s primary relationship (Urooj & Anjum, 2015). It is an act of disloyalty to one’s sexual partner, which involves having sex with a different party. Couples who engage in this activity violate their commitment to sexual loyalty.
Focusing on these aspects enriches my knowledge and understanding of issues related to unfaithfulness. In particular, I need to know the causes and effects of disloyalty, being that this behavior is associated with the rising cases of divorce worldwide. In fact, it is the major cause of divorce and spousal battering (Jahan et al., 2017). Research shows that almost 90% of all divorces involve disloyalty (Lișman & Holman, 2021).
Before starting my research, I had the following questions: (1) Who is likely to cheat the most between men and women? (2) Why do people engage in sexual infidelity? What are the consequences of extramarital affairs? A plethora of research with American samples indicates that the prevalence of sexual infidelity is higher for men than for women regardless of the type of primary relationship (Lișman & Holman, 2021).
According to Mapfumo (2016), most men have a stronger desire to engage in extramarital affairs, are likely to cheat, have multiple sexual partners, and cite more sexual motivations for unfaithfulness. On the other hand, women tend to have a strong emotional connection with the extra-dyadic partner, cite more self-esteem motivations, are more likely to feel guilty after unfaithfulness and are more concerned about other people’s negative judgments when involved in extramarital affairs (Urooj & Anjum, 2015). Moreover, among women, the extent of dissatisfaction with the primary relationship determines the strength and frequency of infidelity (Mapfumo, 2016).
Current Research
Current Views on Sexual Infidelity
Most scholars view infidelity as the human’s natural state in the individualization process, arguing that it violates marital boundaries (Atapour et al., 2021). Wedlock is an example of such a boundary that humans tend to breach. People worldwide seem to have a similar attitude towards marital transgression, which has faced public disapproval and private engagement (Jahan et al., 2017). That is to say, most people will publicly criticize infidelity but engage in the behavior when an opportunity presents. People engage in extramarital affairs for various reasons.
Many people view unhappiness or dissatisfaction in marriage as one of the primary reasons for extramarital affairs today. According to Mapfumo (2016), many people enter marriage expecting that their spouse will meet all their needs or make them happy. After learning that one cannot meet the needs, desires, and expectations, they start seeking satisfaction elsewhere (Urooj & Anjum, 2015). Unfulfilled sexual desires occupy a huge percentage of marital dissatisfaction.
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