Infidelity, by definition, is being unfaithful to a moral obligation. In the context of relationships, this is the act of breaking a promise that you made to remain faithful to your partner.
People typically associate unfaithfulness with sexual affairs, but there are other types of infidelity, too.
Object affairs: When something else becomes the priority
Work at home mom, May Palacpac, says that once a person’s thoughts and emotions are occupied by someone (or something!) else, you are already being unfaithful. With the countless distractions that we are faced with each day, it isn’t surprising that addiction to objects also counts as a form of infidelity.
Object affairs happen when the cheating partner focuses his or her time and energy on something other than the relationship. It could be work, social media, or even your smartphone.
If you find yourself reaching for your phone the moment you wake up, sifting through Facebook posts at the dinner table, and liking and commenting on Instagram photos before bed, know that your actions fall under the different types of infidelity.
An object affair may seem harmless, but it can result in a lack of attention, communication and intimacy in your relationship. These negative effects caused by being addicted to distracting things show that, truly, sex isn’t the only way to cheat.
Go to the next page to read about two other types of infidelity that prove that sex isn’t the only way to cheat!
Keeping secrets from your partner about your income or expenses could mean that you are committing financial infidelity!
Financial infidelity: When money comes between you and your spouse
It is not uncommon for money matters to spark conflict in a relationship, especially when lying about money is involved. This situation is considered as one of the types of infidelity, and if you aren’t careful, your negative money habits could quickly progress into financial infidelity.
One mommy blogger experienced this in her marriage. There were times when both income and expenses were kept a secret between her and her husband. The excuse that was given for their individual secret purchases was, “It’s my money anyway.”
Fortunately, she and her spouse managed to overcome their financial infidelity woes. She shares this bit of advice for couples who are suffering from the same problem: “Out of respect, just tell your spouse if you’re going to buy something, especially if it’s a big purchase. In the end, both of you will suffer in case the purchase can’t be paid for.”
Emotional infidelity: When things are too close for comfort
You may think that it is harmless, but becoming emotionally attached to someone else could be bad for your marriage.
“An emotional affair can be considered the worst among the different types of infidelity,” shares home-based virtual assistant, Marge Aberasturi. This is because emotional attachment is a powerful thing.
In the case of a physical affair, it is possible for the cheating parties to get into it with no feelings involved, Marge explains. When it comes to emotional infidelity, the connection is more about feeling desired, understood and even loved by someone else.
One of the biggest reasons emotional infidelity is dangerous is because it is easily hidden. It isn’t easy to prove that your partner may be engaged in an emotional affair. In fact, one wife had no idea until it was too late.
Her husband became emotionally unfaithful when he started confiding to a third party about things that he never talked to his wife about. Eventually the husband abandoned their family, admitting to the affair and choosing the other woman over his wife.
What could have been seen as a close friendship progressed into an intimate relationship, resulting in the end of their marriage. “I feel so betrayed,” the wife shares, “not just by him, but by the woman as well. I know her, and my kids know her.”
This story shows that nothing is truly harmless, and that some types of infidelity can catch you unaware.
These types of infidelity can do as much damage to your relationship as sex, maybe even more. So couples beware, though you may feel that what you are doing is not a big deal, it could mark the beginning of the end for your marriage.
What other types of infidelity have you experienced?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patricia de Castro-Cuyugan
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