Couples And Infidelity

The pain and shock of discovering a partner’s infidelity can be one of life’s most traumatic events.  As such, it should come as no surprise that it often takes several years for couples to effectively repair a relationship after infidelity comes to light.

Some things to keep in mind about surviving infidelity:

·   Many couples are able to recover from infidelity and can develop a stronger relationship with more intimacy and closeness.

·   Several factors influence how successful couples are at saving a relationships after an affair:  the quality of the relationship prior to the discovery of infidelity, both partner’s commitment to making a relationship work, effective communication skills, and counseling are critical to successful recovery.

·   The true motivation underlying infidelity can sometimes be hard to identify.  As such, couples may come up with explanations which do not adequately explain what happened.  If this is the case, the underlying problem does not get addressed and cheating is likely to happen again.  Even ending a relationship may not resolve the problem because infidelity can often follow individuals into their next relationship.

·   Serial cheating is much more difficult to resolve than a onetime affair as it is often linked to personality characteristics, which can be very difficult to change.

·   While infidelity often occurs in healthy relationships, infidelity can also be an indicator of larger relational problems such as a fundamental incompatibility or a lack of love and companionship.
Adapted from truthaboutdeception.com