The very phenomenon that is destroying many beautiful couples. Couples who had promised each other love, fidelity, and protection until death do them part.
Infidelity is a term everyone has their own definition and understanding about. As such some will tell you that we can only talk about infidelity when sexual intimacy is involved. Others perceive emotional connection and satisfaction as an infidelity. And there are those who think that verbal or text exchange for emotional satisfaction is infidelity. No matter how one perceives or defines it, the issue is that the partner who feels or is cheated on may be emotionally and mentally affected and broken. The affected partner feels betrayed and question their relationship.
Breaking hopes and tearing families apart is what infidelity can do best
Many couples marry with the hope and desire to form a family and build a future together. Despite this beautiful hope, many marriages end in nightmare with an ugly divorce fueled by one of the partner’s infidelity. Thus, creating instability, conflict, toxifying their relationship, and impacting the whole family. These are foreseeable and expected risks of infidelity, yet it is becoming more and more common in our communities that one or both partners cheat.
Social media and the need for emotional salvation
One fact that in my opinion has made infidelity a recurrent issue is social media and misuses of technology. Our smartphones open new possibility and create network that would have not been possible in the physical world. This in turn may bring some to fall in the trap of attention, validity, and company seeking. For instance, from one singlet text an individual with emotional loneliness and sense of abandonment find themselves sexting and cheating. Even though all cheating is not for emotional and psychological satisfaction, I believe those are factors that should not be neglected when we talk about this issue.
We all know that both men and women can be infidel, yet often our communities blame women more than they do of men. Often, I have seen people vilify women and accusing them of materialism and never questioning the underlining issues of their infidelity. I am not saying that women should be applauded for cheating, what I am saying is that all infidelities do not stem from material needs and desire, and all kind of infidelity is blamable. It has broken many families and left children with dysfunctional relationship with their parents. An ugly divorce induced by infidelity can easily affect the psychological and emotional wellbeing of the children. So, as a society we need to address the root causes of infidelity in all its forms.