Why do people cheat?

Reasons Why People Cheat
Institution
Date
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the reasons as to why people cheat in relationships. A total of 50 volunteers aged 30-50 were interviewed and were given questionnaires via mail to fill and return. The questionnaire contained both closed and open-ended questions. Before the main questionnaire was administered, the respondents were required to complete a demographic questionnaire and then a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) screening tool, and a sexual behavior questionnaire was also included for them to fill to determine the effect of alcohol on cheating. The primary purpose of the research was to answer the questions that, what are the dominant characteristics of partners who cheat, and also what were the reasons given by the cheating individuals in justification for cheating. The results indicated that age, culture, and gender had no correlation with cheating. The findings showed that the level of happiness in a relationship, psychological disorders and degree of satisfaction in relationship played a major role in determining whether an individual was likely to cheat on their partner. The findings are important to counselors as they will be able to understand the causes of cheating thus putting them in a better position to discharge their services diligently.
Keywords:
Infidelity, cheating, monogamy
Introduction
Currently, Infidelity is the major contributing factor in divorce, research shows over 90% of divorce cases are as a result of cheating. According to Zare, (2011), the rate of infidelity in men increased by 28% as they approach the sixties and women increase by 20% of the same age. Thus cheating or rather an infidelity continues to attract a broad interest from scholars. Cheating is a casual reference to adultery. The catastrophic nature of fraud makes it a prime subject for various researchers. Fraud can be defined as a breach of an expectation of sexual exclusivity in a relationship. According to Blow and Hartnett, cheating can be categorized under various categories that include, having an affair, extramarital relationships, sex with a different partner, oral sex, kissing, fondling or having emotional connections that are beyond friendships. Infidelity is characterized by unfaithfulness that results from being unreliable in a relationship and non-commitment to exclusivity in the relationship. Categorizing cheating depends on various cultural definitions and is also determined by the type of the relationship that exists between the two. Many researchers have studied infidelity in different perspectives from type to cues to gender implication of it and also how personal education level affect in fidelity. The aim of this study is to develop from previous studies and determine the reasons why people cheat. The study borrows from Whisman, & Snyder, (2007). Who emphasizes the importance of studying variables that are related to the "perpetrator," to the injured partner and the relationship and the greater context? To understand the behavior and how its etiology, the study will examine variable at the different levels mentioned above. The research will answer two questions that are, what characteristics makes people more...