Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Contextual Factors in Engaging in and Responding to Extramarital Involvement.

Abstract

Extramarital involvement (EMI) occurs with high prevalence among couples in clinical and community settings, frequently resulting in considerable distress both to participants and their spouses. The field lacks a synthesized review of this literature. Without such a synthesis, it has been difficult for researchers and clinicians to have an understanding of what is and is not known about EMI. This article reviews the large and scattered EMI literature using a framework that encompasses multiple source domains across the temporal process of engaging in and responding to EMI. In addition, this review delineates conceptual and methodological limitations to previous work in this area and articulates directions for further research.

Antecedents and Consequences of Infidelity in Cross-Border Business Relationships

“…As regards the stage of the relationship, firms at a growing stage are less vulnerable to infidelity actions as a result of low relationship quality, compared to firms experiencing a declining stage, because of greater continuity expectations and a reduced number of relationship alternatives. These findings are in harmony with those in the social psychology literature, where relationship length and stage was also found to moderate the effect of infidelity in inter-personal relationships (e.g., Allen et al 2005;Blow and Hartnett 2005).…”

“…In line with research on inter-personal relationships, which reports that, in general, partners in the early years of marriage are more susceptible to infidelity (Allen et al 2005), we would expect that low levels of relationship quality in older E-I relationships will have a weaker effect on infidelity. This is because a long-lasting relationship generates confident expectations for both interactive parties that their partners will fulfill their promises and obligations, rather than engage in aversive behavior like infidelity (Parkhe 1993).…”

“…In addition to relational factors, future research could also explore the antecedent roles of: (a) Finally, since infidelity has various drivers (e.g., those associated with the person, partner, relationship, and the context) (Allen et al 2005), is bespoken in different ways (e.g., explicit, deceptive, ambiguous) (Mattingly et al 2010), and centers mainly on interpersonal relationships, it would be advisable to engage in more in-depth investigation of the subject, by complementing quantitative research with qualitative studies. For example, researchers could explore which specific actions in different cultures are considered as infidelity.…”

Comportamentos extra-diádicos nas relações de namoro: Diferenças de sexo na prevalência e correlatos

“…Outra variável relevante diz respeito à religiosidade (Allen et al, 2005;Atkins et al, 2001;Mattingly, Wilson, Clark, Bequette, & Weidler, 2010;Treas & Giesen, 2000). A infidelidade tem sido, de forma consistente, mais reportada por indivíduos que não têm afiliação religiosa comparativamente aos que têm (Burdette, Ellison, Sherkat, & Gore, 2007;Forste & Tanfer, 1996), ainda que outros tenham reportado resultados contraditórios.…”

“…Embora um nível de educação elevado se encontre associado a atitudes mais liberais em relação à sexualidade e a atitudes de aceitação face à infidelidade (Forste & Tanfer, 1996), a relação entre a educação e a infidelidade real é menos clara (Allen et al, 2005). Enquanto alguns estudos encontraram maior probabilidade de infidelidade entre os indivíduos com educação superior (e.g., Atkins et al, 2001;Buunk, 1980), outros encontraram resultados contrários (e.g., Choi, Catania, & Dolcini, 1994) ou nenhuma associação significativa (e.g., Traeen, Holmen, & Stigum, 2007).…”