Infidelity breaches the trust between spouses. It can leave one person feeling vulnerable and exposed. As most people can guess, infidelity is one of the more common reasons that marriages fail.
What people may not realize is that there are actually many different types of infidelity that can undermine the trust and honesty that are so important for a functional marital relationship. The three different types of infidelity explained below are all among the top reasons that people report filing for divorce.
Sexual or romantic infidelity
Discussions of cheating almost always focus on physical dalliances or extramarital affairs. When one spouse becomes romantically involved with someone else, they may expose their spouse to infectious disease or could create a pregnancy outside of marriage. Extramarital affairs typically force people to take stock of their relationship and make difficult decisions about the future.
Emotional infidelity
People often start withdrawing from a relationship and developing new bonds long before they actually cheat. Emotional infidelity might involve having a work spouse or a friend who becomes too close for a spouse’s comfort. Emotional infidelity can damage the marital relationship and may make it impossible for one spouse to trust the commitment of the other. Those who uncover emotional affairs often worry that the bond their spouse has with someone else could turn into a physical relationship. Even if it does not, that outside connection can undermine the strength of the marriage.
Financial infidelity
Sometimes, people are embarrassed about their spending habits and lie about their credit card debt. Other times, they may want to preserve some of their property in case they divorce in the future. Lying about resources, debts and spending habits is a form of damaging infidelity. Financial infidelity has become one of the more common reasons that people decide to file for divorce.
Divorces involving infidelity are almost always complex, as emotions may run particularly high. There may also be concerns about hidden assets or dissipation of marital property. Preparing for a high-conflict divorce related to infidelity requires careful planning and an understanding of the law. People who recognize different forms of marital misconduct as infidelity can take a stand when their spouse causes real damage to their marital relationship.
