Love is one of the most profound emotions known to humans. For some of us, romantic relationships are one of the most important aspects of our lives. Relationships help us provide a sense of fulfillment outside of ourselves. But maintaining a healthy and loving relationship is not all that easy and can pose a challenge for a lot of us. Such challenges often lead people to act out of the relationship. In order to seek something that is lacking in the relationship, people may choose to be unfaithful to their partner.
Being monogamous traditionally symbolizes an agreement between romantic partners to be faithful in their love, affection, and commitment to each other. This promise or agreement can take place in the sanctity of marriage vows that are recognized by law or a privately uttered verbal agreement between lovers.
The basic aim in getting involved in a romantic relationship is to give and receive love, affection, support, security and company. Yet people choose to be unfaithful in relationships. Although the breaching of this agreement or promise in most cases is not justifiable, it is important to understand why people cheat in relationships.
A lot of times we tend to base our definitions of what is right and wrong on the basis of how people around us view an action or event. Thus, an individual may believe that is okay to cheat in a relationship if they see, either or both of their parents, close friends, or family members engaging in infidelity.
Initiating a relationship is not half as much of a challenge as maintaining it is. The biggest reason for cheating is a lack of emotional connection or the feeling that you’re not appreciated by your partner as much as you deserve. Anyone could resort to cheating as a way to getting everything they lack where they are person even if it means going out of the relationship to achieve that. From an evolutionary perspective, a tendency for an individual to commit an infidelity stems from an attempt to increase the reproductive success at the expense of their partners.
Across multiple studies, while most women are found to stress on emotional fidelity more than sexual fidelity, it tends to be the other way around for men. Either ways, it is important to understand that infidelity is not a character trait, but the outcome of deep rooted emotions, and desires. The sooner we understand what emotions drive our choice for a partner, the sooner will we be able to mend our contracts for the relationships we enter in, and feel at home, in love.
This extends even to being cheated on. While anger, rage, and detestment are the immediate reactions most of us would have when we find out that we have been cheated on, they might not be the right ones. Compassion, conversation, and an exploration of what your partner was looking for is probably the best route, once you calm yourself down.
This article was written by our relationship expert Dr. Rachana Khanna Singh.