There can be a plethora of reasons why married people resort to affairs. As many as 40% of married couples have been affected by infidelity in some way or the other. What’s amazing is that even though this a very high percentage, even the people who have cheated will say that it is wrong.
This brings about the question as to why do married people cheat in the first place?
Well, according to infidelity therapist, risk factors such as childhood issues or personality disorders are common triggers. Factors like poor boundaries or even the use of social media increases the chances of some types of affairs.
Even though the main reasons for cheating are that a partner is incapable of fulfilling the needs of their partner, here are some more common risk factors according to infidelity therapists.
1. Dissatisfaction/Unhappiness
Dissatisfaction in the marriage because of lack of physicality or emotions is quite common. Marriage requires work and without the couple resorting to mutual nurturing – they will definitely grow apart. Sexless marriages are often claimed to be the reason for cheating by both women and men.
2. Feeling Unappreciated
Feeling neglected or unvalued has the ability to lead to affairs for both the sexes – but has been found to be more persistent amongst women. When both people in the relationship are working, women still find the strength to carry the burden of caring for their children and their home. In these situations, affairs somehow validate the unappreciated worthiness of the person.
On the flip side, some relationships may have drifted apart because of unrealistic expectations instead of the true definition of neglect.
3. Lack of Commitment
This particular reason is quite straightforward and obvious. A study conducted in 2018 had found that people that were less committed in their relationships were more likely to cheat.
4. Boredom
It has been noted in the past by therapists that boredom has the ability to lead to affairs for both men and women. These individuals seem to be looking for a thrill, an ounce of excitement, or even a new passion for love. This is why some people have claimed that their flings were a way of spicing up their marriages.
There are also some people out there who claim to have fallen out of love. This can also be explained as a lack of understanding of what maturing love in marriage really is.
5. Body Aging/Image
Another very frequent story of middle-aged individuals is that they cheat as a way to prove fact that they ‘still have it… With these thoughts, these people will also blame their partner for having let themselves go.