Emotional Cheating: Adultery Or Not?

is emotional cheating considered adultery

Emotional cheating involves developing a close, intimate, non-sexual connection with someone other than your partner. This can lead to a disruption in your relationship as it may interfere with your ability to connect with your partner. Emotional cheating can lead to other forms of infidelity and be as likely to cause a breakup as a physical affair if your partner feels that the healthy boundaries of your relationship have been disrupted.

Emotional cheating often occurs with people who start off as friends. However, it becomes problematic when you develop a strong attraction or chemistry with this person, and you find yourself prioritising them over your partner. This may involve sharing intimate details about your life with them, confiding in them more than your partner, and neglecting your partner to maintain constant contact.

Emotional affairs can wreak havoc on your relationship and family, damaging trust, and causing feelings of guilt, shame, and anger. It is important to note that emotional cheating can be just as damaging as physical cheating, and it may be considered a form of infidelity or adultery.

Characteristics Values
Definition Emotional cheating involves developing a close, emotional connection with someone other than your partner without fully disclosing the existence of that connection.
Comparison to platonic friendship Emotional cheating involves sharing intimate information and receiving emotional support from someone other than your partner. Platonic friendships can evolve into emotional cheating when the investment of intimate information crosses the boundaries set by the married couple.
Secrecy Emotional cheating often involves keeping the relationship a secret from one's partner.
Impact Emotional cheating can wreak havoc on marriages or relationships, as well as family life. It can lead to damaged trust, damaged relationships with other family members, difficulty forming future relationships, feelings of guilt, shame, and anger, reduced self-confidence, and worse communication between partners.
Intensity Emotional affairs can have a degree of intensity deeper than a sexual affair because of the level of emotional investment.
Betrayal Emotional cheating can be seen as a betrayal by one's partner, and can be as likely to cause a breakup as a physical affair.
Exciting escape Emotional cheating can be exciting and provide an escape from the routine of a long-term relationship.
Fantasy Emotional cheating often involves a degree of fantasy, as the cheater only sees the other person at certain times and places, and does not experience their bad habits and less attractive features.
Likelihood Emotional cheating is likely to occur when there is a lack of communication in a relationship, when one's needs are not being met, or when the relationship has become too routine.
Prevention To prevent emotional cheating, couples should focus on building and maintaining an emotional connection, spending quality time together, and having intentional conversations to check in on their relationship.

shunspirit

Emotional cheating involves developing a close, intimate connection with someone other than your partner

Emotional cheating usually starts innocently enough as a friendship, but when a person invests a significant amount of emotional energy and time in this friendship outside of their relationship, it can form an emotional bond that threatens and hurts their intimacy with their partner. While there is no sexual relationship, most relationship experts view emotional cheating as a form of infidelity.

Emotional cheating involves sharing intimate thoughts, feelings, desires, and experiences with someone other than your partner—someone with whom you feel an increasing emotional connection and attraction. This often includes sharing details about problems in your current relationship, which can lead to increased unhappiness with your partner and a lack of effort to repair issues within the relationship.

Emotional cheating can be identified by behaviours such as:

  • Spending a lot of time communicating with and thinking about the other person
  • Prioritising the other relationship over your partner, confiding in them more than your partner
  • Keeping the friendship a secret or downplaying its significance to your partner
  • Feeling increasing sexual tension or chemistry with the other person
  • Losing interest in spending time with and being intimate with your partner
  • Comparing your partner to the other person and finding them lacking
  • Becoming defensive or irritated when questioned about the friendship

Emotional cheating can have several negative impacts on a relationship, including damaging trust, harming communication, and reducing self-confidence. It can also lead to other forms of infidelity and cause a breakup, as it may be perceived as a betrayal by the partner.

shunspirit

Emotional cheating can lead to other forms of infidelity and cause a breakup

Emotional cheating is a non-sexual relationship that involves developing a close, emotional connection with someone other than your partner. While it may start innocently as a friendship, it can develop into something more, particularly if the people involved feel a mutual attraction. Emotional cheating can lead to feelings of deception, betrayal, and lying, and can be just as damaging to a relationship as physical affairs.

Emotional cheating can cause a breakup, as it often involves a breach of trust and a redirection of emotional energy away from the committed partner. It can also lead to other forms of infidelity, as the emotional connection with someone outside the relationship may intensify and develop into something physical.

Signs of emotional cheating include frequent contact and communication with the other person, prioritising them over your partner, confiding in them more than your partner, and hiding or downplaying the extent of the relationship. If you find yourself in this situation, it is important to evaluate the state of your current relationship and consider the impact your actions may have.

To address emotional cheating, it is crucial to acknowledge and discuss the issue openly with your partner. This allows both parties to express their feelings, address the underlying causes, and work together to repair the relationship and rebuild trust. Seeking couples counselling can be beneficial in navigating these challenging conversations and restoring the relationship.

shunspirit

Emotional cheating can occur when there is a lack of communication in a relationship

Emotional cheating can occur when individuals feel that their needs are not being met or that there is a lack of communication in their relationship. This may lead them to seek emotional support from someone else, which can develop into an emotional affair. Emotional affairs involve a similar level of emotional intimacy and bonding as a romantic relationship but without the sexual relationship. It often begins innocently enough as a friendship but can evolve into something more when individuals invest significant emotional energy and time in the relationship outside of their partnership.

When one starts withholding intimate information from their partner and sharing their deepest thoughts, feelings, and experiences with someone else, it can be a sign that an emotional affair is occurring. Emotional affairs are characterised by frequent contact and communication with the other person, even at the expense of spending time with or neglecting one's partner. The other person becomes the first person one wants to share news or problems with, and one may find themselves confiding in them more than their own partner.

Emotional cheating can also involve sharing intimate details about one's relationship and personal life with the other person, which can lead to increased unhappiness with one's partner and criticism or comparison of them to the other person. It can also involve hiding communications and lying about interactions with the other person, as well as fantasising about them romantically or sexually.

To prevent emotional cheating, it is important to establish and maintain boundaries and expectations for how one wants their relationships to behave. Communicating openly and directly with one's partner about one's feelings, concerns, and experiences is crucial, as well as spending quality time together and building an emotional connection. If emotional cheating has occurred, it is important to acknowledge and discuss it openly to understand what led to it and work together to repair the relationship and rebuild trust.

shunspirit

Emotional cheating can be overcome by recognising and addressing the issue, and seeking couple's counselling

Emotional cheating is a non-sexual relationship that involves sharing a similar level of emotional intimacy and bonding as a romantic relationship. It often starts as a friendship but can develop into something more, especially if there is sexual chemistry or attraction. Emotional cheating can be just as damaging to a relationship as a physical affair, as it involves secrecy, deception, and a redirection of emotional energy away from the committed partner.

Recognising and addressing the issue is the first step to overcoming emotional cheating. If you are emotionally cheating, it is important to recognise what has happened, why it is happening, and to stop it immediately. Communicate with the other person to explain why you are withdrawing your emotional connection and set boundaries. Then, look at why this is happening—are your needs being met? Is there a lack of communication in your relationship?

If your partner is emotionally cheating, it is important to have a conversation about how you are feeling, what it will take to meet your needs, and what it will take to regain your trust. Be prepared to ask questions, but also be aware that your partner may not have all the answers and that these conversations can be difficult.

Seeking couples counselling can be a helpful way to address emotional cheating. A therapist can help you discuss your concerns, improve your communication, and work through the issues in your relationship. It is important to remember that both partners need to be willing to put in the work to address the issue and rebuild trust.

shunspirit

Non-monogamy or open relationships can be a solution to emotional cheating

Emotional cheating involves developing a close, intimate, non-sexual connection with someone who isn't your partner. This type of infidelity can be just as harmful as a sexual relationship, as it involves sharing emotional energy and time with someone outside of the committed partnership. Emotional cheating can lead to feelings of deception, betrayal, and a lack of trust.

In a non-monogamous relationship, partners agree on boundaries and rules, such as whether emotional attachments are allowed, and this can help prevent the sense of deception that comes with emotional cheating. For example, some CNM couples institute a "three strikes and you're out" policy, allowing for sexual exploration with others but prohibiting ongoing emotional attachments.

However, it's important to note that non-monogamy is not a foolproof solution to cheating. Cheating can still occur within CNM relationships if one partner hides their activities or violates agreed-upon boundaries. Ultimately, the success of non-monogamy in preventing emotional cheating depends on honest and open communication between partners, as well as a shared understanding of the relationship's boundaries.

Frequently asked questions

Emotional cheating is a non-sexual relationship that involves developing a close, emotional connection with someone other than your partner. It often starts as a friendship but can turn into something more, especially if there is sexual chemistry or attraction. Emotional cheating can lead to feelings of deception, betrayal, and lies in a relationship.

A platonic friendship does not involve the same level of emotional intimacy and bonding as an emotional affair. In a platonic friendship, there is usually no sexual attraction or chemistry, and the relationship does not interfere with one's ability to emotionally connect with their partner.

Some signs of emotional cheating include frequent contact and communication with the other person, prioritising them over your partner, confiding in them more than your partner, hiding or deleting communications, and experiencing a decreased interest in your partner.

Emotional cheating can damage trust, harm family relationships, and lead to difficulties in forming future relationships. It can also result in feelings of guilt, shame, anger, and reduced self-confidence. The intensity of emotional investment in an emotional affair can make it more damaging than a physical affair.

It is important to recognise and stop the emotional affair, address the underlying issues in your relationship, and focus on rebuilding emotional intimacy and trust with your partner. Seeking individual or couples therapy can help address the reasons behind the emotional cheating.

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